EDITOR’S NOTE
It’s a deal!
H
ospitality analysts expect 2019 to be a milestone year for deals in India’s robust hospitality sector, following Brookfield’s purchase of Hotel Leelaventure’s assets, the sale of Keys Hotels to Lemon Tree and Blackstone’s potential acquisition of Hyderabad-based Golden Jubilee Hotels, in what could be the first case of international institutional capital coming in for financial resolution of an Indian company under the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code (IBC). According to leading hospitality consultant firm HVS Anarock’s industry review, hotel transaction volumes could cross US $800 million in 2019, the highest for the Indian hospitality industry. In an exclusive interview with us, Mandeep Lamba, president ( South Asia) HVS Anarock says that with the listing of the Blackstone Embassy REIT which includes a hospitality asset component, being received well by the markets, the industry can anticipate more REIT listings which will include hospitality assets in the blended real estate portfolios. The review also reiterates that midscale hotels continue to remain the king. The value-driven volume customer, seeking a full- service hotel continues to drive the growth in the midscale space. A sentiment shared by S P Jain, founder and managing director,
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NORTH Prabhas Jha +91 9899707440 | prabhas.jha@expressindia.com
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“With the listing of the Blackstone Embassy REITwhich includes a hospitality asset component, being well received by the markets,the industry can anticipate more REIT listings which include hospitality assets”
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Pride Group of Hotels who is planning to take his homegrown brand overseas on the management route. Read his interview in this issue. Another important announcement is the Swiss Education Group's opening of Apicius, a new multifaceted culinary training facility on the campus of César Ritz Colleges Switzerland in Le Bouveret. Students will have at their disposal five floors where they can gain hands-on learning experience and be able to draw inspiration from the great names of Swiss gastronomy such as Irma Dütsch, Anton Mosimann, Franck Giovannini and Pauli. In the High Spirits section, we have Amar Sinha, COO, Radico Khaitan talking about the company's latest single malt whisky Rampur and how it is meeting the global G&T trends. Sinha also feels that digitalisation is important for promoting any brand across any vertical these days. That's exactly why US-based delivery startup DoorDash has announced a partnership with Wyndham Hotels & Resorts that will see over 3,700 of the hospitality chain’s 9,200 properties offer guests access to DoorDash’s restaurant selection. Zomato, Swiggy are you listening?
FOR PARTNERSHIPS,TIE-UPS,SPECIAL EVENTS Anishi Khetan +91 9930915221 | anishi.khetan@indianexpress.com
STEENA JOY Editor Express Food & Hospitality editor.efh@gmail.com
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CONTENTS CHEF'S PLATTER Chairman of the Board Viveck Goenka Sr. Vice President Neil Viegas Asst. Vice President Harit Mohanty Editor
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Steena Joy* Correspondent Akshay Nayak
'HOWEVER GLOBAL MY STYLE OF COOKING IS, MY SOUL IS VERY ‘DESI’ WHEN IT COMES TO FOOD': CHEF VICKY RATNANI
DESIGN
HIGH SPIRITS
Assistant Art Director Pravin Temble Chief Designer Prasad Tate Senior Designer Rekha Bisht Graphics Designer Gauri Deorukhkar Senior Artist Ratilal Ladani Photo Editor Sandeep Patil DIGITAL TEAM
The 36th edition of Express Food & Hospitality Expo witnessed the who’s who of the Goa food & hospitalityindustryvisiting the tradeshowand participating in the power packed knowledge sessions on all three days of the show
(18-36) 41
Head of Internet
RADICO KHAITAN: CELEBRATING THE IMFL LEGACY
Viraj Mehta SCHEDULING & COORDINATION Arvind Mane
P12: NEW KIDS ON THE BLOCK
MARKETING / SALES
Diyalo Lords Plaza Birgunj, Nepal
Ziyad Tungekar Dattaram Kandalkar Satish Dange Venkatesh Subramaniam Sanjay Kumar Sreejith Radhakrishnan
P14: PRODUCT TRACKER
CIRCULATION Mohan Varadakar PRODUCTION General Manager B R Tipnis
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WE DON’T THINK THAT THE INDIAN MARKETS ARE READY FOR A HOSPITALITY REIT: MANDEEP S LAMBA
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CALLEBAUT BELIEVES IN BRINGING EXPERIENCE THROUGH THE CUSTOMERS THAT WE WORK WITH: DEEPA DSOUZA
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WE ARE TRYING TO GO OVERSEAS ON THE MANAGEMENT ROUTE: S P JAIN
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SWISS EDUCATION GROUP UNVEILS NEW CULINARY TRAINING FACILITY ‘APICIUS’
New range of ice teas by Wagh Bakri Tea
P50: MOVEMENTS Conrad Pune
PARTNERSHIPS, TIE-UPS Anishi Khetan
MARKETS
P58: WEEKEND Scene and heard by Marcellus Baptista
Express Food & Hospitality® Printed and Published by Vaidehi Thakar on behalf of Global Fairs & Media Pvt Ltd and Printed at The Indian Express Press, Plot No.EL-208, TTC Industrial Area, Mahape, Navi Mumbai-400710 and Published at Express Towers, 1st floor, Nariman Point, Mumbai 400021. Editor: Steena Joy* (Editorial & Administrative Offices: Express Towers, 1st floor, Nariman Point, Mumbai 400021)
Production Co-ordinator Dhananjay Nidre
* Responsible for selection of news under the PRB Act. Copyright © 2019. All rights reserved throughout the world. Reproduction in any manner, electronic or otherwise, in whole or in part, without prior written permission is prohibited.
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'WE DON’TTHINKTHATTHE INDIAN MARKETS ARE READYFOR AHOSPITALITYREIT' In an exclusive interview, Mandeep S Lamba, president (South Asia), HVS Anarock speaks to Steena Joy about the hospitality investment scenario in the country, the impact of India's first REIT and whether elections will affect the sector's performance What is the hospitality investment scenario for 201920 in India? We anticipate hospitality transactions to be at an all time high in 2019 and expect it to reach circa US $ 800 million. With the Leela acquisition by Brookefield and the Keys acquisition by Lemon Tree Hotels, the first quarter has already set the pace. India's first Real Estate Investment Trust (REIT) has been launched. How will it impact the hospitality sector especially in a developing market like India? We don’t think that the Indian markets are ready for a hospitality REIT as the industry’s performance does not as of now provide attractive returns to likely investors. However, with the successful listing of the Blackstone Embassy REIT which includes a hospitality asset component, being received well by the markets, we anticipate more REIT listings which will include hospitality assets in the blended real estate portfolios being listed in the REIT. Goa is predicted to show the maximum growth in brand signings. Reasons for the same? Goa has been India’s best performing market for a very long period of time and amongst the safest destinations for hospitality investors. Traditionally it has been a high entry barrier destination as getting clear title land and approvals to build in Goa has always been
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times that of the International inbound travel. Also, with the growth in economy and globalisation in our urban cities, domestic travel grew at a very high rate along with the propensity to pay by the domestic traveller which has constantly improved over the years. Today, the domestic traveller has become a key segment for the industry and one that will only gain in significance over time.
Mandeep Lamba
a herculean task. For this reason, Goa did not get the kind of influx of rooms supply which was triggered by the hospitality boom period in all key markets from 2005 to 2009 and which resulted in the pan India total rooms inventory more than doubling from 2006 to 2016. However, given the long gestation period for land acquisition and approvals, a number of projects which were initialised during the boom period are now becoming reality and hence the sudden growth in brand signings has taken place.
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Your insights on the shift from international to the domestic traveller in the India market? Traditionally, Indian hotels considered inbound travel to be of greater significance as the propensity to pay with international travellers was much higher than domestic travellers. However after the Global Financial Crisis in 2008 when the world economy slowed down and hotels started seeing major dip in inbound business, they started focussing on the domestic travel business which in size is over 100
The impact of elections on the industry? Elections are always a dampener for the industry as travel numbers reduce by a large extent during this period. Corporates delay their activities since the government is not active during this period and no new policy decisions of any kind can be taken. Leisure travel also slows down since a lot of travellers do not take their vacations during election period on account of general security concerns. However, since elections are being held during peak off season for most destinations other than the leisure ones, the overall impact will not be as severe and we anticipate that the industry will still keep pace with its growth trajectory in 2019. Lemon Tree Hotels and Chalet Hotels recently launched their IPOs. Do you see this as a future trend? The hospitality industry has seen two successful IPOs in quick succession after a gap of several years. This has sent the right signals and the
confidence to others looking to raise capital. We expect to see more IPOs in 2019 and 2020. Homegrown brands like the Taj and Lemon Tree are reinventing their portfolios (Taj entering the homestay segment with Ama Trails and Lemon Tree eyeing Co Living platforms). Your comments on the same. With the industry’s performance showing strong signs of revival and growth, increasing the reach and distribution through differentiated products is a likely outcome. IHCL has demonstrated their resolve to accelerate their growth and have reorganised their brand offerings across various segments including addition of new brands. Lemon Tree is looking at a Co-Living venture which is part of the new age millennial business opportunities that are emerging globally in urban environments. While CoLiving mimics some hospitality elements, it is not a pure hospitality play and in that sense is outside the hospitality arena. The Tier 2 and Tier 3 cities emerging as hotel growth hubs? We are witnessing active growth in Tier 2 and Tier 3 cities which augurs well for the industry and reflects its journey to being a more mature industry. Out of the 201 new hotels signed in 2018, over 70 per cent were signed in Tier 2 (32 per cent) & Tier 3 (39 per cent) cities.
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'WE ARE TRYING TO GO OVERSEAS ON THE MANAGEMENTROUTE' In an exclusive interview, S P Jain, founder and managing director of Pride Group of Hotels, one of India's oldest homegrown brands, speaks to Steena Joy about his journey from a chartered accountant to hotel entrepreneur, his plans for the brand and why the management route is good for the business From chartered accountant to hotelier, how has your journey in hospitality been? I began my career as a chartered accountant and management consultant doing projects for other service industries. Then we decided why not we ourselves enter a service industry, one that is managed professionally. We selected the hospitality sector as I have always liked it. The first few years were tough. It was only in 1998-99, almost ten years after we set up our first hotel in 1988 in Pune, that we became steady all over India and found that there is tremendous scope in this sector. We became more aggressive in our growth and we have made continuous progress by adding one or two hotels every year. Today we operate 16 hotels pan India. Which are the latest additions to the group? We have three brands. Pride Plaza is our luxury brand with hotels in Kolkata, Delhi, Ahmedabad, etc. Then we have Pride Hotels in Pune, Nagpur, Bengaluru, etc. And Pride Resorts in Goa, Jaipur, Dharamshala, Puri. This year we have opened two more hotels. One in Rajkot under the Pride Hotels brand with 99 rooms, large banqueting facility and huge lawns. The second is a Pride Resort in Gangtok. We have currently a total of 2000 rooms across these brands and pan India. Your insights on midscale vs luxury? We are in the upscale as well
This industry is highly capital intensive. Investment is very high and it takes lot of time to get ROI. So to grow the brand on a pan India basis, we thought that only constructing new hotels is not the solution for expansion
S P Jain
as economy segments. Midscale is our main focus. Today maximum customers are in the midscale segment. The young and dynamic executive who is well travelled, has more spending power and wants to stay not in luxury hotels but in midscale properties. Pride is well known and recognised as an upper midscale brand. You have adopted the management route for some of your recent hotels. What are the benefits of the management model? This industry is highly capital intensive. Investment is very high and it takes lot of time to get ROI. So to grow the brand on a pan India basis, we thought that only constructing new ho-
tels is not the solution for expansion. That's why we adopted both the modes. First where we own the hotels - all our luxury and upscale hotels are owned by us. Second, we have taken up resorts and midscale hotels on the management model. So today we have a mix of both which is beneficial because individual owners/ promoters do not have the capacity to reach big markets. They need support - brand support, management support, technical support and sales/marketing support. We are able to provide all this. That is why all the hotels we are managing are doing very well. We are giving a much better return to the promoter or hotel owner than when they were operating it themselves.
But we are very choosy when selecting the hotels. We do a lot of research before signing them on. Our new Rajkot and Gangtok hotels are managed. We will be very soon signing up for managing hotels in Noida and Hyderabad and a second hotel in Goa. In the current financial year, we expect to sign another five to six more hotels to take the total from 16 hotels to almost 20 or 22 hotels by 2020. What's the future roadmap for the group? Pride has already acquired around seven acres of land in South Goa where we are planning to build two hotels of 150 rooms each, one for midscale and the other for luxury segment. We will start work on this soon. Plus we are adding another 75 rooms to our 100 room Nagpur property and another 40 rooms to the Pune property. So on ownership basis, we have
around 400 to 500 rooms to be added and via the management route another 400 to 500 rooms in the next two to three years which means a total of 3000 rooms by 2022. Homegrown brands versus international chains? There is tremendous challenges in establishing a brand, first in our own country and then to establish it worldwide. In the last 10 to 15 years, we are participating in international conferences, trade fairs and exhibitions. This has helped us develop our contacts worldwide. Pride is thus well known among international travel agents especially for groups and because we have a pan India presence. Any plans to take Pride overseas? Of course. We are trying to go overseas on the management route. We are quite hopeful to open in some place where we can acquire a good property.
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Callebaut believes in bringing experience through its customers Akshay Nayak Mumbai BELGIAN chocolate brand, Callebaut has announced Chef Dean Rodrigues and Chef Mayukh Mazmudar as the finalists from Mumbai who will be contesting at the grand finale of Callebaut Patissier Of The Year, 2019 (CPY). The Mumbai boot camp witnessed a range of participants from pastry chefs to chocolate professionals who were competing for the title in the city. Speaking about CPY 2019 on the sidelines of the Mumbai boot camp, Deepa Dsouza, Director – Gourmet Sales (India & sub-continents), Barry Callebaut, told Express Food & Hospitality, “This is the first in the boot camp series of CPY 2019, which would continue to Delhi and Bengaluru. The finale of the contest will be held on 3,4 May. We want this contest to be recognised as a national platform. We want people to be proud of being a part of CPY. The winner at the contest will go to our academy in Wieze, Belgium and will learn from and work with international chefs for a 3-day course, organised by the company. Furthermore. we will keep them as a face of the brand and will popularise them and moreover organise their master classes for the aspiring individuals in the F&B space.” The panel of judges for the Mumbai boot camp included Chef Avijit Ghosh, corporate pastry chef, Hotel LeelaVenture Ltd; Chef Prashant Sabne, pastry chef, The Oberoi & Trident Nariman Point Mumbai, and Chef Sanjana Patel, executive pastry
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Deepa Dsouza
chef, LaFolie. The first of the boot camp series held in Mumbai offered the participating chefs a creative quest in the line of CPY’s 2019 theme – ‘Future of Chocolate’. The participants had to showcase their talent by creating new sensations in the world of chocolate; in either designs or experiment with new forms of desserts, pastries and confectionery. The contestants created a mélange of decadent flavours that kept in mind futuristic tastes, textures and innovation while taking chocolate to the next level. Talking about the previously held and the first India edition of CPY in 2017,
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Dsouza informed it was the first edition year for the Callebaut Patissier of the Year. “Worldwide we have chocolate masters and it is a prestigious contest in which many countries participate. So we thought in 2017 why not have a national-level contest where we provide the professional chefs like the pastry chefs in hotels and institutes with a platform to showcase their talents,” she added. Throwing light on the themes for both the years’ contests, she told that in 2017, the theme was all about heritage. “It was all about creating a fusion between Indian flavours with European formats in the 2017 challenge.
This year with a lot of digitalisation and VR coming into play, we thought to prick the chefs’ brains to come up with something that could be the ‘Future of Chocolate’ in their own perception. I think when you say the future of chocolates, we see sustainability, for which we work very closely with our Cocoa farmers on our sustainability formats, and we also have the programme – Cocoa Horizons under the Callebaut brand in which we hail that by 2025, 100 per cent of our products, ingredients, and processes will be sustainable. So sustainability is in terms of natural, organic, and the chocolates that will be enjoyed by the generations to come. We would also see gadgetry in our showcase. And of course, we will also look for the clean exotic rawness because that is where everyone is going i.e. into more rustic, natural, cleaner flavours,” she added. When asked about the potential of India for Cocoa production, Dsouza replied, “Yes, in India brands like Mondelez have been working with many Cocoa farmers in Kerala and Mangalore, since the last 15-20 years to bring up the production of Cocoa, but at this moment the production of Cocoa is not sufficient for self-sustenance. If you see the chocolate consuming market in India, it is growing double-digit Y-o-Y. India could be the next Cocoa-growing nation, provided all brains and brands are working in harmony to further increase the production. Since Cocoa consumes a longer gestation period to yield, and farmers here being in need of quick monies, they
likely shy away from investing in Cocoa cultivation. For this, we as brands need to work with them. We at Callebaut do that in Indonesia and in the African belt of Ghana and Ivory Coast, where we work very closely with the farmers to teach them the use of technology; how to increase the production, etc., we also teach them different programmes of sustainability.” Callebaut had sourced Cocoa for India’s first Ruby Gianduja chocolate introduced by ITC’s gourmet chocolate brand Fabelle. Talking about the natural colour and bringing the experiential element for chocolate aficionados in India, Dsouza said, “Ruby is a naturally coloured fourth type of chocolate which comes after dark, milk, and white. The colour is developed naturally after processing and fermenting the Gianduja Cocoa beans. Fabelle was the first brand to launch the Ruby Gianduja in India. We have also launched it with gourmet customers like Smoor, Chocolate Philosophy, etc.” Furthermore adding to the experiential element, she said that they are introducing sustainable chocolates which are demanded by many companies these days. “Under the Callebaut brand we have launched Eclipse – milk chocolate with one per cent added sugar which is gaining popularity. We also have the Power 80 which is 80 per cent dark chocolate, so there are lots in the experiential market. And, although being a B2B company, we believe in bringing experience through the customers that we work with,” she concluded.
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Swiss Education Group unveils new culinary training facility‘Apicius’ EF&H Staff Mumbai SWISS EDUCATION Group, a leading private provider of hospitality management education in Switzerland, marked a key milestone in the Group’s history recently with the inauguration of Apicius, a new multi-faceted culinary training facility. Located on the campus of César Ritz Colleges Switzerland in Le Bouveret, the debut of Apicius was commemorated in the presence of eminent guests and partners such as Irma Dütsch, the first Swiss female chef to be awarded a Michelin star and Anton Mosimann, Swiss chef and officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE). Apicius – whose name refers to the famous gastronome in ancient Rome, credited with compiling the oldest collection of recipes, is set to position Swiss Education Group as a world leader in culinary arts education. Students will have at their dis-
posal five floors where they can gain hands-on learning experience and be able to draw inspiration from the great names of Swiss gastronomy such as Irma Dütsch, Anton Mosimann, Franck Giovannini and Pauli.
Growing demand for culinary arts education After a two-year construction period and an investment totalling CHF 9 mn, the construction of Apicius is a respond to the increasing demand for culinary arts education. With 850 students, the schools’s culinary arts programmes have reached their maximum capacity. “We are delighted that our new culinary centre will enable us to continue offering education of the highest quality and thus to respond to very strong international demand for turnkey training services specialising in the culinary arts,” said Florent Rondez, CEO, Swiss Education Group. From mise en place and plate
dressing to presentation, each of the seven kitchens at Apicius is dedicated to a specific stage of learning and has been customdesigned with individual workstations to teach up to 14 students at a given time, a statement by Swiss Education Group read. Interactive audio and video systems, equipped with the best education tools are installed in the classrooms. Training also includes an exploratory phase held in the laboratory, where third-year students are currently developing new vegan recipes. There is also a special food styling course that allows apprentice chefs to work on the visual aspects of their creations. Food Inspired by Franck Giovannini, a chef’s table located on the top floor of Apicius offers panoramic views of Lake Geneva and constitutes the centre of excellence which students aspire to reach at the end of their course. Dedicated to fine dining and focussing on interactions be-
tween future chefs and guests, it is a space that is also available for exclusive private events.
Showcase for culinary heritage Irma Dütsch and Anton Mosimann OBE (Officer of the Order of the British Empire) who, with the active support of students from the Culinary Arts Academy, had the pleasure of visiting and accompanying the visit to the new kitchens.
“I am proud and honoured to be one of the first chefs to cook at Apicius. This worldclass culinary facility provides students with an ideal setting in which to study and learn the trade,” commented Anton Mosimann. “I am touched by this collaboration. It echoes my commitment to helping young people to develop their talents in this demanding and exciting industry,” said Irma Dütsch.
Godrej Appliances eyes sales of 50,000 units of Qube, 20 per cent in B2B sales in the first year Akshay Nayak Mumbai GODREJ Appliances has launched ‘Qube’ – an F&B cooler based on thermoelectric cooling technology with cube-like dimensions and weighing only 11 kgs. Speaking at the launch, Kamal Nandi, business head & executive VP, Godrej Appliances, said the cooler is ideal for any setting be it a home or hotels. “The cooler, which works on a thermo-electric chip, comes with features including LED-lit interiors, stabiliser-free operation, magnetic auto door closure system, etc., and, is also 100 per
cent green and environmentfriendly. It is unique as it doesn’t make any noise; can run on a 12W battery, and also one doesn’t have to face any hassle of defrosting,” he added. Qube has been piloted in various states of the country for the hospitality segment, a couple of months ago. Based on the overwhelming response received, now the brand is foraying into the B2C segment through its trade channels. “With the hospitality industry looking to add value to their consumers, Qube is an ideal match since it adds immense value to the customers,” Nandi said about the
10 EXPRESS FOOD & HOSPITALITY May 2019
(L-R) Sanjay Lonial, Swati Rathi, Anup Bhargava, Kamal Nandi
product’s usability by the hospitality industry. “The F&B cooler is free from refrigerants and a compressor;
is energy-efficient as it consumes only 12W through DC and is also functional on an inverter. Qube can maintain the temper-
ature up to 180 minutes during power cuts due to its thick insulation,” informed Sanjay Loniyal, asst. VP, thermoelectric application development, Godrej Appliances, about Qube's USPs. Speaking about the distribution plans for Qube, Anup Bhargava, product group head – refrigerator, Godrej Appliances, said, “In the first year, Godrej Appliances is eyeing sales of 50,000 units of Qube of which 20 per cent will comprise the B2B sales, especially the hospitality market. We are looking at both conventional trade route as well as e-commerce channels for the distribution of Qube pan-India.”
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India will see its first Radisson Red property in Mohali by end of Q4 this year
Zubin Saxena & Katerina Giannouka
Akshay Nayak Mumbai ZUBIN SAXENA, MD & VP – operations, Radisson Hotel Group (RHG), while speaking about the hotel company’s plans to introduce a new brand in India, said that India will see its first ‘Radisson Red’ branded hotel in Mohali which is set to open in Q4 of this fiscal. “Radisson Red is a brand catering to the millennial-minded visitors who desire ageless hospitality through art, music, and fashion, and the majority of Indian audience being millennial, it is the right time to be introduced in the country,” informed Katerina Giannouka, president, Asia Pacific, RHG. Another Radisson Red branded property will be located in Noida which will be a 350-key project and will likely open in 2023, Saxena said. When queried about their last year’s set target to have 100 operational hotels in India by end of 2018, Saxena and Giannouka jointly stated that they currently are having 94 properties operational in India and are well on track to surpass the set target by 2022 with about 49 hotels in the pipeline that amounts to approximately 5000 keys pan India. Furthermore, to help visitors to virtu-
ally explore about RHG’s hotels in the world over, the company has introduced an all-inclusive new website radissonhotels.com which lists all its hotels spread globally, which will take over the prevalent separate websites for each hotel. “On the website, the customer can also make specific bookings in the categories of the rooms, which will be introduced as a first in the market, under the hotel company’s unified technology solution – Emma (Every Moment Matters). This will be unveiled in India with the launch of Radisson Red Mohali,” said Giannouka. Highlighting the importance of F&B for RHG’s business in India, Saxena said, “I would call ourselves as 94 hotels, 200 F&B outlets and half a million sq ft of banqueting space because, in India, F&B generates half of the consolidated revenue for RHG’s business in the country. And, having mentioned that, Weddings is an important segment which is a major driver of F&B and hence we are striving to leverage the culinary experience to our customers even more.” Adding to this, Giannouka said, they are aware of the growing trend of destination weddings within India and hence the company will be focusing on setting up more of resort properties in key destinations within the country too.
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May 2019
NEW KIDS ON THE BLOCK MARKET
Diyalo Lords Plaza Birgunj,Nepal
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ords Hotels and Resorts recently opened their 60-room property, Diyalo Lords Plaza Birgunj – Nepal. This property is equipped with all the amenities hence making the property ideal for both leisure and business travellers visiting Raxual or Birgunj. Diyalo Lords Plaza Birgunj features contemporary rooms and suites; business center; four conference rooms; three F&B outlets including a bar, multi-cuisine restaurant & roof-top dining; spa; gym; pool, and a casino.
Dewa Thimphu, Bhutan
D
ewa Thimphu by Realm Hospitality has recently opened. The luxury boutique resort is located on the hills outside Thimphu, Bhutan and offers stunning valley views from all rooms and the restaurant. Guests can enjoy the warmth of traditional Bukharis (Bhutanese wood-fired stoves) in the lobby and the restaurant while paging through an array of books placed all around the resort. The resort’s fifteen rooms and suites, starting from 75 sqm in size, are among the largest in the country and feature a living area, four-fixture bathrooms, large private terraces, and under-floor heating. The resort is also developing its own kitchen garden which will enable guests to enjoy a farm-to-table meal experience.
Niraamaya Retreats Backwaters & Beyond Taj Rishikesh Resort & Spa, Uttarakhand
T
he Indian Hotels Company Limited (IHCL) has recently opened Taj Rishikesh Resort & Spa, Uttarakhand marking the company’s third hotel in the state. The resort, 30 kilometres from Rishikesh, is spread over 12.5 acres of terraced gardens on the banks of the river Ganges. Each of the spacious 79 rooms has panoramic views of the Ganges with its white sandy beach. Taj Rishikesh is an architectural tribute to the Garhwal region in the Himalayas where it is located.
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N
iraamaya Retreats has opened its third retreat in Kerala. Nestled on the banks of Lake Vembanad in the Kerala Backwaters in Kumarakom, Niraamaya Retreats Backwaters & Beyond will provide its guests glimpses of authentic insight into the local Keralan life while instilling a sense of peace and wellness through its natural landscape and a range of wellness offerings. The retreat houses 27 luxurious villas with expansive views of the lake.
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‘HYATT’S FOCUS ON TIER II CITIES IS AKEY DRIVER OFOUR EXPANSION STRATEGY’ American hospitality giant Hyatt has been present in India for over 30 years in India now. Sunjae Sharma, VP operations – India, Hyatt, converses with Akshay Nayak to highlight how the company is recognising the tier II cities in India as its potential market for further expansion here Which destinations and brands will drive Hyatt’s further expansion in India? India is one of the top three global growth markets for Hyatt. It has high growth potential and remains a market where we can expand and are growing our brand representation. We started 2019 with the expansion of the Hyatt Centric brand by opening Hyatt Centric Candolim Goa and the addition of two Alila properties - Alila Diwa Goa and Alila Fort Bishangarh (Jaipur) as part of our global acquisition of Two Roads Hospitality. We will be launching four more new hotels in 2019. These will be Hyatt Regency Kochi Malayattoor, Hyatt Regency Dharamshala, Hyatt Regency Thrissur, and Grand Hyatt Gurgaon, and entering three new markets by the end of 2019. We believe that destinations and hotels have a symbiotic relationship. We look forward to joining hands with owners who want personal, flexible relationships and to stand out in a slightly overcrowded market. We are seeing more and more interest in building hotels, different types of capital coming in for investing in hospitality landscape, and lenders being more mature in regards to who they are lending to. All these signs bode well for the industry at large. How does Hyatt look at the tier II and tertiary markets in India? Driving asset-light growth in leisure and cultural destinations with an emphasis on tier II and emerging cities in India is of key strategic importance to us. Tier II markets have
shown to hold great potential as travel destinations for business as well as cultural tourists. Currently, we are present in tier II markets such as Goa, Hyderabad, Pune, Ludhiana, Chandigarh, Amritsar, Ahmedabad, Lucknow, Bengaluru, Raipur, Hampi and Rameswaram. Our expansion strategy will see the emergence of Hyatt properties in leisure and cultural destinations such as Dharamshala, Alibaug, Malayatoor, Jaipur, Udaipur, Dehradun, Vadodara, Vijaywada and Thiruvananthapuram, which are important tier II markets and which we believe provide great opportunities for the hospitality industry in India. Our Hyatt Regency and Hyatt Place brands will drive our growth in tier II cities and emerging markets. We want to be where our guests are travelling, which is why we are also expanding our Grand Hyatt footprint to include Gurgaon, Alibaug, Jaipur and other new markets. With the Hyatt Centric Brand recently paving its way in India, which new brands under Hyatt are expected here? Hyatt currently has eight premier brands offering over 7000 rooms across 30 hotels in 19 destinations in India. In 2018, we introduced the Hyatt Centric brand in India with the launch of Hyatt Centric MG Road Bangalore. Both our Hyatt Centric properties in India are extremely popular with our guests. Our Hyatt Centric properties are always located in the center of the action, bringing the best of the outside in, and serving as the perfect launch
over the years at a steady pace, driven by our strategy and the fast-developing positive economic scenario in the country. As an industry, the pace of development and infrastructure is very favourable and provides a much-needed impetus to the overall hospitality development ecosystem. With Hyatt acquiring Two Roads Hospitality, what will be the operation format of the two Alila properties in India? Both Hyatt and Two Roads believe in genuine care and delivering distinctive experiences to discerning travellers, and that is where our synergies lie. The two Alila properties in Goa and Jaipur will be a part of our World of Hyatt programme, which is great for World Of Hyatt members as they now get to enjoy the benefits of this programme at both properties.
Sunjae Sharma
pad for exploring all the hidden gems and hot spots a destination has to offer. With the global acquisition of Two Roads Hospitality, we are looking at strengthening our lifestyle and wellbeing offerings in India, with new avenues to introduce and further expand five new brands – Alila, Destination, Joie de Vivre, Thompson, and tommie – in India. Our focus is on high-quality, differentiated brands and experiences that command a premium and drive frequency with consumers. We look forward to introducing new brands in the Indian market over time. What are the headwinds and tailwinds faced by Hyatt in India?
When Hyatt started India operations in 1983 with Hyatt Regency Delhi, the presence of global hospitality brands was negligible and domestic brands dominated the Indian market. Over the last 35 years, we’ve had a distinct and differential strategy from other players in the market and have grown with specific intent. From the very beginning in India, we have maintained an asset-light strategy for growth. Our growth in the market is fuelled by management contracts. It’s only recently that we have begun to adopt a selective franchising model with some of our most credible third-party operators. As is evident, Hyatt’s expansion rate in India has grown
What would be the way ahead for Hyatt in India? This year is actually very exciting for all of us at Hyatt – we are furthering our commitment to expanding in smaller destinations. Our focus on tier II cities is a key driver of our expansion strategy. These are smaller, yet popular towns which have grown in significance as far as domestic travel is concerned. With Hyatt Regency Dharamshala Resort (89 keys), Hyatt Regency Kochi Malayattoor (100 keys) and Hyatt Regency Jaipur Mansarovar (250 keys) we are adding close to 1000 more keys to our existing bouquet of hotels in 2019.
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PRODUCT TRACKER MARKET
New range of ice teas by Wagh Bakri Tea
Kooler mattress top by Kurl-on
WAGH BAKRI Tea Group has recently launched its new range of ice teas. It comes in flavours like lemon, orange, peach, khus, litchi, aloe vera, and saunf ice teas. While aloe vera is already known for its health benefits and litchi is a popular fruit flavour; lemon, peach and orange – come with the goodness of vitamin C. Khus and saunf are known as natural cooling agents for the body that relieve distress and dehydration caused due to the heat. Both these are green teas and rich in antioxidants. They are a rich source of hydration and instant energy for the Indian summers. The teas are available in packaging of 500g, 250g, and 25g.
KURL-ON, India’s leading brand of mattresses, furniture and furnishing products has launched a unique, eco-friendly cool gel mattress topper. Aptly called “Kooler”, the mattress top gives one a feeling of the temperature lowered by 3-4 degrees from current room temperature, thereby enabling a comfortable, good night’s sleep. Furthermore, its portability gives the added advantage of taking it along anywhere.
Coco Soul organic products by Marico MARICO LIMITED, one of India’s leading FMCG majors has launched a range of vegan gourmet products under the brand name ‘Coco Soul’. The company claims that the range includes 100 per cent organic virgin coconut oil; 100 per cent natural virgin coconut oil, and 100 per cent natural infused variants of cold-pressed virgin coconut oil and Coco Soul Foods which include coconut spreads, coconut chips and 100 per cent organic coconut sugar.
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Mélange Veggie Nacho Crisps by Cornitos KEEPING pace with the trend of healthy snacking, Cornitos has developed an innovative product – Mélange Veggie Nacho crisps, made from natural vegetable extracts blended with corn masa & seasoned with Himalayan pink salt and roast garlic. Melange nacho crisps is mix of beetroot nachos, spinach nachos and white beans nachos in a single pack. Each vegetable blended with corn masa gives a special colour, flavour, and health benefit to the nacho crisps.
INTRODUCTION OF “ SHREE JAGESHWAR TRADING CO ” FOR SUPPLY’S OF GROCERY ITEMS AND DRYFRUITS. On behalf of my whole team , I Mr, Mahendra Bhadra is pleased to introduce our self and the group company. A company set up in year 1996, has been managed professionally since years. We have been awarded with “ ISO 22000 certification” & also been awarded as a “Supplier with best quality products & efficient service” A full range of Grocery, Provisions & Dry Fruits has been our core business since the day we started and is being supplied to most important places like Government & Semi Government Institutions, Hospitals, Canteens, Corporate Caterers, Restaurants & almost all the Five Star Hotels in Maharashtra, Goa, Gujarat, Chennai etc.
SHREE JAGESHWAR TRADING CO.
SHOP NO.E-10, APMC MARKET-I, PHASE-II,SECTOR-19, VASHI, NAVI MUMBAI-400705, Mobile: 9920570720, Email: shrijtc@gmail.com www.shreejageshwartradingco.com
COVER STORY
Connecting with HoReCa The 36th edition of Express Food & Hospitality Expo, held in Goa recently, witnessed the who’s who of the Goa food and hospitality industry visiting the tradeshow and participating in the power packed knowledge sessions on all three days of the show By Akshay Nayak
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he three-day exhibition, organised by The Indian Express Group and Global Fairs & Media was inaugurated by chief guests, Suraj Nair from Kerala Bureau of Industrial Promotion (KBIP) and Chef Sunit Sharma, VP, Culinary Forum of Goa (CFG). Followed by the inauguration there was a GMs Conclave wherein leading general managers like Gaurav Apte, GM, Goa Marriott Resort & Spa; Pracilo Dsilva, GM, Resort Rio; Ranju Singh, Complex GM, Novotel Goa Shrem & Novotel Goa Resort and Spa; Shridhar Nair, GM, The Leela Goa; Hasanullah, GM, Lemon Tree Beach Amarante Goa; Cajetan Araujo, GM, W Goa; Rajendran Menon, GM, The Zuri White Sands Goa Resort & Casino; Rajeev Kumar, GM, The Fern Kadamba; Rajesh Malliya, GM, Hyatt Centric Candolim Goa; Victor Soares, Sr GM, Radisson Blu Resort Goa Cavelossim Beach and Gagan Sharma, GM, Lemon Tree Hotel Candolim, Goa, shared their views on the potential of Goa as a MICE market. The panel discussion concluded with the panelists giving a unanimous view that Goa has lots of potential as a MICE market, but it should also at the same time work towards retaining its age-old charm. There were two panel discussions on the second day which saw the presence of F&B managers and purchase managers of leading hotels in Goa speaking on topics like ‘Farm to Fork: Back to Basics’ and ‘Procurement Challenges
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in Goa’ respectively. The first panel discussion had as panelists Amit Malhotra, EAM, F&B, The Leela Goa; Sadan Gaunker - F&B manager, The Zuri White Sands, Goa Resort & Casino; Amit Kumar Mathuri - operations manager, The Fern Kesarval, and Chef Deep Prasad, sous chef, The Fern Kesarval. They remarked that the concept of Farm to Fork first which emerged in the Western countries is quite evident in India now and is also appreciated here. They noted that though it is still in its nascent stage of being adopted by our farmers, it is gaining popularity as a trend in the country. The panelists for the second panel discussion included Vikas Khandagale - asst. purchase
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The event featured an interesting line up of workshops, conferences, seminars, and live competitions including the Great Indian Culinary Challenge (GICC) in association with Culinary Forum of Goa and the Mixology Championship in partnership with Indian Flair Bartenders Association
manager, DoubleTree by Hilton Goa Panaji; Constancio Gonsalves, purchase manager, Taj, North Goa; Nandkishor Kothamkar - purchase manager, Le Meridien Goa
Calangute; Rony Rodrigues materials manager, Vivanta Panaji, Goa, and Sanju Shirodkar - purchase manager, The Leela Goa. They highlighted that Goa has a lot of
dependence on its neighbouring markets like Maharashtra and Belgaum in Karnataka, for procuring fresh produce and perishables. They stated that the dependence on out-
the main focus
side sources is due to the negligence of quality maintenance and poor handling of materials within the Goa market. On the third day, a panel discussion on the topic, ‘Sustainable Housekeeping Solutions’, was conducted in which executive housekeepers from leading hotels in Goa participated. The panelists who included Abhishek Upadhayaya - EHK, Le Meridien Goa Calangute; Krishna Sawant EHK, Deltin Suites; Renjith Paul - deputy HK, Azaya Beach Resort Goa; Shailesh Mordekar - EHK, Taj Holiday Village Resort & Spa, Goa; Vijay Joshi - EHK, Vivanta Panaji, Goa, and Kishore Pudota – EHK, Hard Rock Hotel Goa, spoke about how the hotels not only in Goa but across the length and breadth of India are now more environmentally sensitive, and also how the various departments of operations within these hotels are making continuous efforts to convey the importance of sustainable housekeeping solutions to their team members as well as hotel guests. Organised by India’s leading media publication The Indian Express, EF&H is a focused B2B trade show and one of the most visited platforms for trade and consumers in the food, beverage and hospitality industry in the
country. This year the event had leading exhibitors such as Blue Star, Haier, Sleepwell, Amul, White Owl, KBIP, among others. The event featured an interesting line up of workshops, conferences, seminars, and live competitions including the Great Indian Culinary Challenge (GICC) in association with Culinary Forum of Goa and the Mixology Championship in partnership with Indian Flair Bartenders Association. The expo also saw visits by the Goa Catering Association (pic to the right) and the Tarkarli Tourism Development Sanstha (pic below).
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COVER STORY
Goa is good for MICE business but it must maintain its essence: GMs Conclave The GMs Conclave panel discussion at the 36th edition of Express Food & Hospitality Expo, threw light on the opportunities and shortcomings of promoting Goa as a MICE destination By Akshay Nayak
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he Goa edition of Express Food & Hospitality Expo conducted the GMs Conclave, which discussed trends, drivers and opportunities in the Goa hospitality industry for the MICE segment. The panel discussion was titled, ‘Goa as a MICE market’. The esteemed panelists included Gaurav Apte, GM, Goa Marriott Resort & Spa; Pracilo D'silva, GM, Resort Rio; Ranju Singh, Complex GM, Novotel Goa Shrem & Novotel Goa Resort and Spa;
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Shridhar Nair, GM, The Leela Goa; Hasanullah, GM, Lemon Tree Beach Amarante Goa; Cajetan Araujo, GM, W Goa; Rajendran Menon, GM, The Zuri White Sands Goa Resort & Casino; Rajeev Kumar, GM, The Fern Kadamba; Rajesh Malliya, GM, Hyatt Centric Candolim Goa; Victor Soares, Sr GM, Radisson Blu Resort Goa Cavelossim Beach and Gagan Sharma, GM, Lemon Tree Hotel Candolim, Goa. Starting the panel discussion, Nair remarked, “It is true that Goa has seen a
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Goa still has a long way to go in which a dedicated international airport, better transport connectivity, and also a large convention centre, have important roles to play. A Public Private Partnership (PPP) to build a convention centre would go a long way in Goa
COVER STORY tremendous growth in MICE segment since the past 8-10 years. MICE has been 35 per cent for us and we are expecting it to cross the 42 per cent mark in our business. We now have plans to expand the MICE facilities to cater to the whole segment. Goa gets about seven to eight per cent of business and we are expecting it to grow at 11-12 per cent. We want go increase the share of MICE.” Apte remarked that they have upped their focus on the MICE market. “At Goa Marriott Resort and Spa, India's first Marriott hotel, we were making 25 per cent from MICE market last year, and have taken efforts to achieve 38-39 per cent of business from MICE segment this year. It is no more true that MICE is price conscious,” he said. Sounding similar views of witnessing boost in business by MICE markets over the past five years, Menon said that his hotel used to receive 20 per cent of the business from MICE, which has now gone up to 40-44 per cent. He further added, “Previously, MICE was only seen as an offseason segment in Goa but that is not the case now.” Another five years down the line, weddings and MICE as a segment will account for the majority business segment for the hotel, he remarked. He further added the result of the general elections 2019 will have an impact on the hospitality industry in Goa. Speaking about the importance of MICE to Hyatt Centric Candolim Goa, Malliya said, “Earlier we had a share of only 12-15 per cent of the MICE market, but with the rebranding and putting in new facilities for MICE in the hotel, in just three months since the opening of India’s second Hyatt Centric property, the brand's MICE business is predicted to be around 28 per cent. MICE plays an important role for us.” D'silva said, “With the decreasing charter business and increasing discounts offered by OTAs, MICE is the seg-
Rajesh Malliya
Hasanullah
Gaurav Apte
Shridhar Nair
ment that needs to be focussed upon in Goa.” “Ours being a business hotel, 70 per cent of the business comes from MICE,” informed Kumar.
Infra still remains farfetched Hasanullah remarked that the whole of Goa market still lacks the infrastructure required to to host MICE segments. “South Goa has a lot of
potential for this segment considering the supply and amenities of services provided to the guests,” he said. Nair mentioned that as compared to the global MICE destinations, Goa still has a long way to go in which a dedicated international airport, better transport connectivity, and also a large convention centre, have important roles to play. A Public Private Partnership (PPP) to build a con-
vention centre would go a long way in Goa. The government is cognizant about the shortcoming, but some involvement from the private sector as well is required. Apte added to his point stating that a sharing airport with defence forces accounts for no peak hour morning flights to Goa which becomes difficult for hotels to set the check-in and check-out timing for the guests. Hence, a
dedicated airport is needed. He also questioned that with road connectivity being so expensive and despite the Goa Miles app coming in, is it effective enough for the guests? Having one more airport will definitely ease out the pressure. For Singh, power supply is also an important aspect to look at because the Goa market has long durations of loadshedding due to which they
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There should be a right balance between development and preserving the culture
have to bear the costs of maintaining a generator that runs for 5-6 hours. Hence, power and road connectivity is critical, he reiterated.
Rajendran Menon
Ranju Singh
Victor Soares
Cajetan Araujo
Rajeev Kumar
Pracilo D’silva
Essence of Goa needs to be preserved Suggesting ways to promote Goa as a MICE destination, all the GMs hailed that there should be a right balance between infrastructural development and preserving the heritage of the destination, because outright modernisation would put the ageold essence of Goa at risk of disappearing. Soares feels that MICE is all good from the business perspective, but it must be done whilst retaining the ageold charm of Goa. Agreeing with him, Araujo remarked, “We have to be mindful about promoting the state. We need to able to sustain what Goa was, is and should be. We need to know that if it loses its charm, it will be like another Tier-II destination.” Nair also voiced similar views, “With all the infrastructural development, we should not forget that Goa must retain its heritage charm.” “With so much of cultural heritage and 52 beaches in Goa, I think we need to preserve its essence,” added Apte. Infrastructure is working but modernisation is something that will kill the essence of the destination, concluded Singh.
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Farm to Fork: Backto Basics The 36th edition of Express Food & Hospitality Expo held recently in Goa, organised a panel discussion on the topic 'Farm to Fork: Back to Basics' seeking views of F&B managers from leading hotels in Goa to understand the application of the concept in the Goa market
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concept which started in the West, the ‘Farm-to-table’ food movement, where restaurants and hotels buy produce directly from local farmers to ensure freshness, is slowly making headway in this country too. A panel discussion on the same at the recently concluded Express Food & Hospitality Expo in Goa saw participation by Sadan Gaunker - F&B manager, The Zuri White Sands, Goa Resort & Casino; Amit Kumar Mathuri - operations manager, The Fern Kesarval Hotel and Spa; Amit
Malhotra, F&B director, The Leela Goa and Chef Deep from The Fern Kesarval Hotel and Spa. Speaking about the origin of the concept, Gaunker explained, “The'Farm to Fork' as a concept started in California where most of the restaurants tied up with the farmers there to get the produce right on the table hence discarding all the mediators in between, and that has slowly expanded globally.” Malhotra added, “The concept is very rich and has to evolve in India. Also the luxury market, which we are into, it will definitely elevate
the dining experience that we provide to the guests.” “Since The Fern Hotels & Resorts is a chain of enviromentally senstive hotel, it closely looks into all the concept and using natural compost for farming is mostly inhouse within our hotel,” said Mathuri. Adding to this, Chef Deep said that the hotel has a 'Spice Garden' which has almost all the spices as desired by the guests. Particularly speaking about the Goa market, the panelists opined that the concept is still farfetched as they depend majorly on the Belgaum market for good-
quality produce, especially vegetables.
Keeping it experiential At The Zuri hotel, Gaunker added that being a property spread on 34 acres of land, one acre of the property is dedicated to its organic farm to which they also organise guest tours to select their own herbs. “Be it basil or avacados, we have the produce what the guest needs in their most organic form as we do not use any pesticides or other harmful chemicals to grow the produce,” he informed. Adding on the ex-
pereiential element, Malhotra said that their chefs use the mangoes from the mango trees within the property to prepare fresh mango pickle. Also the horticulturist plants seasonal herbs and plants, which helps us promote the seasonal produce as well. Mathuri added, “The Fern Kesarval Hotel and Spa has a section dedicated to healthy foods in the breakfast buffet. It includes a spread of detox water, lettuce, sprouts and various types of juices, and being located in the industrial area, a lot of corporates visit and prefer eating food from this spread.”
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Amit Malhotra
Organic produce does come at a higher cost, but one needs to find ways to connect directly with the farmers to save on costs Commenting on promoting the local produce of Goa in their hotels, Malhotra said that they do support the local markets by serving fresh catch of sea food from local vendors. To further increase dependency on the Goa market for produce including quality vegetables and fruits, he suggested that the government needs to encourage the farm-tofork concept in the state to help local farmers and fishermen sustain in the competitive market, which is otherwise dominated by too many middlemen. Many other states in India are seeing these startups which help people buy directly from the farmers. Agreeing to this, Gaunker felt that the removal of the additional channel is required because the price that the farmer gets is less though the retailer sells it for a far higher price.
Cost barrier in organic produce Yes, cost does play an important role with organic pro-
duce being priced higher, however, the most important thing is the availability of the item. Only if they are easily available in the market, it will be inexpensive and hence the costs of the dishes too will be low despite the produce being organic, feels Malhotra. Chef Deep agreed with Malhotra saying, “Organic produce does come at a higher cost, but one needs to find ways to connect directly with the farmers to save on costs.” Gaunker cited an example saying, “There is a farmer in Haryana who cultivates only organic produce and has tied up with most of the restaurants there to serve them cost efficient high-quality produce.” When asked about maintaining a loyal vendor base in the Goa market, the panelists spoke in unison that it is subject to the internal audits of each and every sample submitted by the vendors, which is a continuous process. “The most important point of con-
cern to be looked into is the quality of transportation of food items and perishables in the Goa market. The quality, hygiene level of containers and the time taken to deliver the perishables is something that is still a challenge here,” added Gaunker.
Sadan Gaunker
Hydroponics in Goa When asked about the perception and application of the emerging popularity of hydroponic/soil-less cultivation technique in the Goa market, Gaunker replied, “In Goa, considering the climatic conditions, the heat here makes a lot of difference to grow good quality hydroponic produce. The demand for hydroponics is high here, but the supply is low due to the same reason.” Malhotra said that it is a trend that has picked up from the European countries and is being adopted globally now. “What is the main concern for hydroponic cultivation is the cost of minerals and the quality of the water used for the same. We will definitely look into using the produce made using hydroponic cultivation method,” he added. Chef Deep also backed Malhotra's views saying, it is a difficult cultivation processs to maintain, and especially due to the temperature in Goa it is very difficult.
Amit Kumar Mathuri
Chef Deep Prasad
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COVER STORY
Procurement challenges in Goa The Power of Purchase knowledge session on the second day of Express Food & Hospitality Expo Goa covered various challenges that are endemic to the Goa market By Akshay Nayak
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he second day of Express Food & Hospitality tradeshow's 36th edition which concluded recently in Goa welcomed Vikas Khandagale, assistant purchase manager, DoubleTree by Hilton Goa Panaji; Constancio Gonsalves, purchase manager, Taj, North Goa; Nandkishor Kothamkar, purchase manager, Le Meridien Goa Calangute; Rony Rodrigues, materials man-
ager, Vivanta Panaji, Goa, and Sanju Shirodkar, purchase manager, The Leela Goa, who discussed the procurement challenges they face in the Goa market during the 'Power of Purchase' knowledge session.
Stark dependence on neigbouring markets Starting the panel discussion, Shirodkar underscored that one of the main procurement challenges in Goa's hospitality market is
its stark dependence, about 80 per cent, on the neighbouring states for fresh produce and perishables. “The Goa market lacks on the quality supply due to which we have to depend on the other states,” he said. Agreeing with him, Rodrigues said that for good-quality produce, many hotels in Goa including Taj have to depend on supply of fruits and vegetables from the nearby states. “For the fresh sup-
ply of vegetables and also mutton, we have to depend on the Belgaum market,” he added. Adding to this point, Gonsalves said that despite Goa is synonymous to high consumption of sea food, about 80 per cent of the supply comes from outside the state. Highlighting the challenges of logistics in coldchain supply faced by the hotels in Goa, Kothamkar said that the hygiene standards maintained in the Vikas Khandagale
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supply containers is a question of great concern to hoteliers in the state. “Transportation of supplies is a major challenge in Goa,” opined Khandagale adding to Kothamkar's views. “The main challenge in the Goa market is that the supply chain is unorganised and the representatives handling the cold chain/frozen foods are not well-equipped especially with regard to the hygiene factor,” said Rodrigues. “To check on this aspect, we have audits twice a year to see whether the supply quality is maintained, and furthermore we also host training workshops to let the vendors/ suppliers understand the handling of perishables as per FSSAI norms,” he added. Speaking on similar lines, Gonsalves said, “Although there are more than two hotels in Goa under the Taj brand, there are no common suppliers for all these hotels, only for the reason that a supplier doesn't supply throughout the state. So yes, logistics is a major challenge in the Goa market.”
Cutting costs effectively The panelists further discussed on whether considering the lack of proper infrastructure in the Goa market, were they likely to procure and promote usage of newer products
in the market to save on the operational costs effectively without compromising on the guest experience. Gonsalves informed that they do promote and consider novel products available in the market. Rodrigues added, “We would initally look at the after-sales services provided by the manufacturer/ supplier of any new product before considering repeat orders.” Shirodkar said that they have already started considering to invest in new and innovative products. “Considering the long hours of power cuts in Goa, hotels need diesel to run their generators, so we are investing in bio-diesel for our generators. We have also invested in new sensor lights to save on the energy utility costs.” he said.
Nandkishor Kothamkar
Rony Rodrigues
Sanju Shirodkar
Role of government The panelists opined that the demand-supply gap of both quality and quantity of fresh produce and perishables needs to be looked into by the state government. Considering the FSSAI licences issued to vendors, the panelists agreed that there is a lack of clarification with respect to the eligibility of a vendor or supplier for the licence. “Similar is the case for fresh seafood suppliers who do
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Constancio Gonsalves
not have a proper idea about the licences. The state government needs to communicate this to them,” said Rodrigues. Gonsalves agreed with Rodrigues and said, “Many vendors are not aware that the supply vehicles too need to
have an FSSAI licence which is given after the vehicle meets specific criteria set for the same. The government needs to make them aware of this.” The panel concluded with the panelists voicing a unanimous view that, together with
the government, the purchase department of all the hotels in Goa need to educate the vendors about the FSSAI norms and the licences in order to make the procurement process in the Goa market seamless and hassle-free.
COVER STORY
Sustainable housekeeping solutions: Need of the hour On the third day of the 36th edition of Express Food & Hospitality tradeshow held in Goa recently organised a panel discussion on “Sustainable housekeeping solutions”
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xpress Food & Hospitality tradeshow held in Goa recently witnessed the presence of executive housekeepers from leading hotels in Goa who spoke at length about adopting environmentally responsible housekeeping solutions. The panelists included Abhishek Upadhayaya, EHK, Le Meridien Goa Calangute; Krishna Sawant, EHK, Deltin
Suites; Renjith Paul, deputy HK, Azaya Beach Resort Goa; Shailesh Mordekar, EHK, Taj Holiday Village Resort & Spa, Goa; Vijay Joshi, EHK, Vivanta Panaji, Goa, and Kishore Pudota, EHK, Hard Rock Hotel Goa.
Greening housekeeping operations Kickstarting the discussion, the panelists mentioned
the numerous cookie-cutter solutions that they have adopted for sustainable housekeeping, without compromising on their guest's stay experience. Joshi said, “We are in the process of eliminating all plastic bottles from our hotels. But, the question that arises is will we be able to please our guests that the water we are serving is hygienic? For that, we researched and
installed a water filtration plant in the hotel itself. We have started the practice of using water in glass bottles in our restaurants and the next step will be in rooms. The guests are also encouraging this practice.” He also felt that the common water refill stations which is quite common in international hotels should be seen as another alternative by Indian hotels to save water
and discourage use of plastic. Adding to this, Upadhayaya said, “There is a difference when you are cutting costs and when you are cutting wastes, which are inversely proportional to each other. One thing that we are doing in this aspect is the message conveyed to the guests about usage of towels. Even at our homes, we do not wash our towels every day, so
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COVER STORY we want to convey to them that the same thing should be in case of hotels as well. The guests can leave their towels on the counter if they do not want it to be changed, or can drop it on the floor if they need it changed.” He further added, “We also have this programme, wherein we give reward points to the guests for not changing linen on a dailybasis which is being appreciated. This is a valuable strategy that we apply to follow sustainable housekeeping without hampering the guest experience.” Speaking on similar lines, Pudota stated, “We at Hard Rock Hotels have a motto called 'Save The Planet'. Every department at Hard Rock Hotels think responsibly to minimise wastage of natural resources because it is at an alarming stage of depletion. Similar to other hotels, we too have plans to save these resources wherein we channelise treated used water for landscaping. We have installed LED throughout most places of the hotel to save on electricity. Also, as Vijay was saying, for plastic, we too discourage the use of the same, and hence have replaced all our plastic straws with the bio-degradable alternatives.” Opining that every guest has a different temperament, countering Joshi’s point about having common water refill stations in hotels, Paul said that the real concern here is that often many guests might want water bottles in their rooms instead of going to these stations citing that they need the service for the money that they have paid. But he also agreed with Joshi partly, saying, “We need to create awareness among the guests that the water in glass bottles is potable. It is quite evident among international travellers that they are told not to drink water in India if it is not from packaged water bottles. We need to root out that misconception.” Mordekar supported Paul’s statement saying, “The common water refill stations
Having listed the numerous ways to adopt prospective eco-friendly housekeeping solutions, the panelists felt that sustainable housekeeping solutions can only be achieved if the whole team is on the same page when it comes to handling resources responsibly while ensuring seamless hospitality is extended to the guests
are evident in hotels in international destinations like Maldives, but if we do that here in India, the guests might say we are cutting costs. So, it depends on how well we are able to communicate to and educate our customers about a hotel’s efforts to save natural resources through such practices.” Sawant also resounded views of educating the customers about saving the environment through adopting eco-friendly practices. Not just saving natural resources, but the panelists also voiced that one must look at all-round aspects that can directly or indirectly contribute to the eco-friendly practices and social responsibilities being adopted by the hotel. In this they listed examples in-
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cluding usage of eco-friendly cleaning agents; effective time management in refreshing rooms; using GHG-free air conditioners; cleaning rooms with natural lighting to save energy costs, and tying up with NGOs for segregation and distribution of leftover soap to needy households as part of their corporate social responsibility.
Goa's eco-friendly practices Highlighting the awareness of environment-friendly practices in Goa at large, Paul remarked that the state observes proper segregation of waste. Mordekar agreed with him saying, “Even I have seen it, because even at personal level at my place, when the person comes to collect the
garbage, he ensures and otherwise informs me to segregate plastic and non-plastic waste items separately, which shows that the people in Goa practise environment safety responsibly.” The other panelists also agreed with him saying they too at personal level segregate the waste to make waste management easy not only at their hotel properties but at a societal level too.
Educating the staff Having listed the numerous ways to adopt prospective eco-friendly housekeeping solutions, the panelists felt that sustainable housekeeping solutions can only be achieved if the whole team is on the same page when it comes to handling resources responsibly
while ensuring seamless hospitality is extended to the guests. Suggesting a way to keep the spirits of the team high to follow sustainable housekeeping practices, Pudota said, “We need to have a continuous talk about environment safety responsibility within our team, and gradually with the time passing it will be adopted by the team members.” Paul remarked that it's important to teach the team about how to take it forward because they need to know how to effectively reduce wastage of important resources in challenging tasks, while also completing the task without seconding the quality. “If we ourselves do not believe in what we are doing, the message wouldn’t be conveyed further. So as a team they need to be educated on the task that the hotel is doing, be it for the environment or social responsibility, etc. Like they should be educated up on the further process of what is happening to the leftover soap that is collected, etc,” said Mordekar. Joshi concluded by saying that first as a team the department needs to adopt environment friendly practices and then the customers will themselves follow suit looking at their functionality, irrespective of an Indian or international traveller.
COVER STORY
Platter of Victory By EF&H Staff
O
ne of the major highlights at EFH Goa 2019, the Great indian Culinary Challenge (GICC) reaffirmed its significance among the chef community of Goa. Organised by Culinary Forum of Goa (CFG) across two days, GICC garnered widespread participation from numerous hospitality institutes and also
leading hotels in Goa. The event witnessed the participants showcasing the best of their culinary talents across categories and gaining new learnings to excel further in their culinary careers. The esteemed jury comprised Chef Sunit Sharma, VP, CFG; Chef Ranjeet Pandey, president, CFG and Shimmjit Bhaskaran, pastry chef The Zuri White Sands, Goa Resort & Casino.
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COVER STORY Category 1: Designer cake – Theme Essence of Goa (For Professionals)
Name
Hotel
Medals
Indrashish Misra
Caravela Beach Resort, Goa
Gold
Shubhadip Modak
Fortune Miramar
Silver
Kamal Bahadur
Bay 15
Bronze
Category 2: Live Cooking - Plated Appetiser/ Main Course (For Professionals)
Name
Hotel
Medals
Samir Prakash Giri
Fortune Miramar
Gold
Kuwar Singh
Grand Hyatt Goa
Silver
Oliver Cristo
The Zuri White Sands, Goa Resort & Casino
Bronze
Category 3: Live Cooking - Plated Appetiser/ Main Course (For Culinary Students) Name
Institute
Medals
Fahd Shaikh
Deltin Institute of Learning
Gold
Anaida Fernandes
Deltin Institute of Learning
Silver
Alvin Francis Yellurkar
St Anthony's Academy Of Food Service Management
Bronze
Pierson Sanford Gonsalves
St Anthony's Academy Of Food Service Management
Bronze
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Keeping the spirits high By EF&H Staff
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nother headturner at the 36th edition of Express Food & Hospitality Expo in Goa was the Mixology Championship. Organised in association with Indian Flair Bartenders Association (IFBA), the championship saw presence of
Table Mixology Winners Name
Organisation
Medals
Monish Raj
Strictlyflair School Nepal
Gold
Piyush Bora
Flairologyindia
Silver
Pratik Choudhary
The mixologist
Bronze
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enthusiastic aspiring mixologists who hailed from across length and breadth of India and also as far as from Nepal. The competition showcased some rare skills of lifting and tossing fine spirit bottles in the air, while simultaneously also focussing on preparing their lively and radiant signature cocktails.
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TESTIMONIALS “The Goa edition of Express Food & Hospitality is very good. All the hoteliers are here, but the kind of infrastructure and spread of exhibitors here is something to be really appreciated. With a diverse spread of exhibitors including food, linen and furnishing brands, it is a crucial venue for decision makers to visit this exhibition.”
Hasanullah Regional Manager & Hotel GM, Lemon Tree Amarante Beach Resort, Goa
“The Express Food & Hospitality Exhibition is a lovely place to be and we had a wonderful session on discussing 'Sustainable Housekeeping Solutions' in the state. Thank you for giving us this opportunity to be a part of the knowledge session. ”
Renjith Paul EHK, Azaya Beach Resort Goa
“Being invited for the GMs Conclave here at The Express Food & Hospitality Exhibition in Goa, I must say it was an interesting session and most of us focussed on one thing that is protecting the tourism in Goa and ensuring that it is not being exploited and also ensuring that we do have the infrastruture to meet the rising demands of the tourism industry seeing that Goa is a potential destination for MICE and weddings. ”
Pracilo D'silva
“We have been in the catering business since the last 30 years and have seen all the changes that the HoReCa segment has seen over the years. Having visited the Express Food & Hospitality Exhibition, we found it to be very useful as we found the right prospective partners to help keep us on track to meet the current trends in hospitality industry. We would recommend our fellow caterers to come and visit the exhibition to witness the spread of unique offerings by the exhibitors. ”
Venkat Pichai Venkatesh Leela Caterers, Ponda & Secretary, Goa Catering Association
“The Exhibition was superb, offering innovative products. Very nice to have this kind of exhibition in Goa. ”
Rony Rogrigues Materials Manager, Vivanta Panaji, Goa
Resident Manager, Resort Rio
“It was a good experience overall at the Express Food & Hospitality Tradeshow in Goa. It gives a good platform to help hoteliers understand the vendors and to look at their new products on offer. A lot of purchase managers should visit the show to witness the products showcased here.”
Nandkishor Kothamkar Purchase Manager, Le Meridien Goa Calangute
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TESTIMONIALS “The Express Food & Hospitality Tradeshow in Goa is a great platform for knowledge sessions like Power of Purchase wherein we could speak to our colleagues about the current scenario of procurement in Goa and going forward how all the purchase managers of hotels can come together to solve the shortcomings in materials procurement in Goa.”
“It was nice to be here at the exhibition and to interact with my colleagues from other hotels.”
Sanju Shirodkar Purchase Manager, The Leela Goa
Constancio Gonsalves Purchase Manager, Taj, North Goa
“It was really nice to come here at the Express Food & Hospitality Exhibition and listen to all the thoughts of housekeepers at other hotels in Goa about the sustainability approaches which they have taken to educate both associates and the guests, and ways to reduce waste and save environment.”
Vijay Joshi EHK, Vivanta Goa Panaji
“Housekeeping is at the frontline of any hotel business, both in terms of their contact with guests and their presentation of rooms for guest appreciation. But, their role in creating a sustainable hotel is often overlooked. In the panel discussion on 'Sustainable Housekeeping Solutions', we looked at how staff can be trained to help boost a hotel's environmental performance. ”
“I run World Flair Association and now I travel to Goa for several purposes and competitions. The Mixology Championship held here at the Express Food & Hospitality Exhibition in Goa was really amazing. I got a chance for the competition and it was a great experience for us. Although I couldn't do well now, I will practise and do well in the next edition of the Mixology Championship.”
Ram Gautam Managing Director, StrictlyFlair, Nepal
Shailesh Mordekar EHK, Taj Holiday Village Resort & Spa, Goa
“The Express Food & Hospitality Exhibition here in Goa has been a very professionally organised one. We had a very interesting discussion on the topic concerning tourism in Goa and we have taken the opportunity to move around the stalls here. We have met with quite a few vendors who have got interesting products. From a hospitality point of view, it is a good opportunity for people related to the hotel industry to come by and have a look at the exhibition. ”
Shridhar Nair GM, The Leela Goa EXPRESS FOOD & HOSPITALITY
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TECH BYTES
The hybridisation of hospitality Julia Aymonier writes about the need for professionals with quantitative skills and knowledge of Artificial Intelligence in the hospitality industry
C
hange has never been as rapid as today. The constant evolution in technology, at an ever-increasing pace, is changing our world and our working environment as never before. The impact of technology is reshaping occupations and
new job categories are beginning to appear on the market requiring “hybrid” skills. Not only will staff have to know how to do their traditional job as in the past, but they will also be expected to have knowledge of the technological world that is evolving around them. The combination of the two is creating hybrid positions that are in great demand but for which
there is little supply. An example of this hybridisation is marketing roles that require understanding of sophisticated statistical analysis tools and even data science. Add to this, the competencies required to work in an environment which uses Artificial Intelligence, in one of its forms, the skills gap becomes even wider and the hidden
gem who possesses this combination rarer. The hospitality industry has not been spared from this disruption. Over the last decade, technology has transformed marketing, reservations, guest relations, service and many other aspects of this industry. With the introduction of Virtual Personal Assistants such as Amazon’s Alexa to assist with in-room
Julia Aymonier
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TECH BYTES service; Relay, the service robot by Savioke, and a multitude of algorithms processing huge amounts of customer data, the industry is struggling to keep up with the pace. Employees in this industry observe that jobs, which involve simpler, easily automated tasks, are disappearing rapidly as they are more and more frequently being undertaken by technology. The dwindling number of unskilled jobs means that there is an urgent need to retrain and reskill these employees to leverage the technological changes and to prepare for the future. Retraining current employees will be essential as the pure data scientists and engineers rarely have the soft skills, especially communication skills that are essential to succeed in the hospitality world. With the introduction of digital tools such as IPSoft’s Virtual Personal Assistants Amelia, Ecole hôtelière de Lausanne has recognised the need to incorporate technology into education enabling students to control artificial intelligence in their future careers rather than competing with it. But still the task of retraining or finding these hybrid individuals is not a simple one as Artificial Intelligence used in the hospitality industry today comes in several forms; natural language processing, machine learning, and predictive data analysis. These different types of Artificial Intelligence require different skill sets. The main goal of this technology is to know your client better than they know themselves. To be able to propose products and services tailored to each individual, to make each person feel special and to create “empathy”. Generate a competitive edge.
Natural Language Processing The art of understanding speech and text, with all its nuances, by machines is rapidly becoming an everyday oc-
With the introduction of digital tools such as IPSoft’s Virtual Personal Assistants Amelia, Ecole hôtelière de Lausanne has recognised the need to incorporate technology into education enabling students to control artificial intelligence in their future careers rather than competing with it currence in our lives. The Alexa in the room, which answers questions concerning the hotel, events, and room service, a machine which can also increase the temperature and dim the lights in the room, is a common sight. What the client does not know however is the amount of work that it takes to make a machine understand and how much more it takes to be able to reply with information that makes sense. It is easy to take the off the shelf products such as Alexa and Siri and get them to answer questions about the weather, but they have to be trained to answer specific questions pertinent to your business to ensure customer satisfaction. The language that we use when we ask questions has to
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be analysed and the machine has to be trained to understand what we are asking. Linguistic analysis of the conversations between man and machine is required to ensure a sufficient level of comprehension to satisfy the client. The linguist will be able to guide the machine in its interpretation of the questions asked of it, so that it can provide the correct answer. This learning takes time and this is the case every time a new scenario is presented to the machine or a question is asked by a client for which the machine has not been able to provide an adequate response. The speed that we can train these machines to be operational will be a differentiator. The linguistic skills necessary can easily be taught to
hospitality staff who have regular contact with clients of many nationalities and who are thus capable of teaching a machine the multiple ways each simple question can be asked.
Machine Learning and Predictive Data Analysis Machine learning is an effective way of increasing productivity by allowing machines to use algorithms and statistical models to perform a given task without explicitly being programmed. Data analysis allows the machine the ability to predict an outcome. The machine must be given enough information to enable it to take a measured decision for the business and can learn from all information given to it. The creation of the
algorithms and statistical models that it uses requires extensive knowledge of your processes and once defined must be closely monitored to ensure that they measure up to expectations. The risk of leaving these machines unmonitored is that they can very quickly become monsters as shown by Microsoft’s Tay, which in 24 hours began sending out inflammatory and offensive information that it had learnt through its interactions with humans on social media. Although the creation of algorithms does not come naturally to hospitality employees, they have the knowledge, which should be included in these algorithms to increase the likelihood of success. It is imperative that they be given the opportunity to learn the skills of modelling, data analysis, probability and statistics and to work alongside data scientists who are capable to produce the necessary models. The true hybrids of this world are in great demand today. To ensure that we are not surpassed by the GAFAs of this world who can attract these highly prized individuals, it is imperative that the subjects of linguistics, artificial intelligence, data analysis and science are included in the curriculum of hospitality schools and in-career training is developed. The most pertinent use of these technologies can only be defined by using the experience of those already in the industry, combined with the knowledge of the generations currently learning these subjects. Jobs and careers will no doubt be greatly affected by this technology, but the future is bright if we ensure the correct education for hospitality employees. The industry is more than capable of creating its own hybrids! (The author is chief information officer and member of the Ecole hôtelière de Lausanne executive committee)
CHEF'S PLATTER
'HOWEVER GLOBALMYSTYLE OFCOOKING IS,MY SOULIS VERY‘DESI’ WHEN ITCOMES TO FOOD' Chef Vicky Ratnani popularly known for his cook show Vickypedia, is a gourmand, connoisseur, and in his own words, ‘a chef who is celebrated for his good work’. Having worked with various cruise liners and restaurants abroad in the initial years of his professional career, Chef Ratnani shares with Steena Joy his insights on the food scene in India and why he feels Indian cuisine has moved up in fineness into a different zone How has your journey been as a chef? I think what people must realise that a chef's career is not a bed of roses. It's been very hard work and I am not complaining about it. The journey of any professional in the F&B industry can be as volatile as they want it to be like accepting challenges; working long hours; staying away from family; spending nights in the middle of the rough waters of the ocean; celebrating when everyone is sleeping and actually working throughout the year when people are celebrating. So it has been an amazing journey in which it has been like an allround management school whereas a chef you learn about punctuality, productivity, morale and motivation, cost efficiency, etc. So it is actually all of the management that one can think of has come into my life. It's working with 37 different nationalities, learning a lot from different people. And, when I returned to India, I have been fortunate enough to set up two world-class restaurants which are Aurus and Nido where we did a lot of modern cooking. The F&B industry has moved by leaps and bounds. There are restaurants which come in and go out every day. Television has been good to increase the reach of the people. I used to serve 200-300 people in a restaurant, but it's a great feeling when you influence over 20 million people every year! So it has been a good journey until now and I would just say that at
the end of the day I don't like the word celebrity chef. I am a chef who is celebrated for his good work. Who has been your inspiration? I have followed chefs in America who were culinary students or head chefs in restaurants and then went on to create their own restaurants and businesses in different verticals and empires around it. Jean-Georges, Daniel Bello are few of the chefs who have created multi-vertical businesses and restaurants. How has the food scene changed in India over the years? I think people have become more aware of food. Earlier people either ate in a five-star hotel's fine-dine restaurant or on the streets. But, I think now the whole food culture has moved in a lateral way as now you have an enormous number of eateries that are serving really good food at modest pricing
as well. The standalone restaurants are way ahead of their time now with more creativity and freedom in what they want to do. I think regional Indian cuisine has become hyperlocal now wherein you have a restaurant in India which literally boasts about the cuisine of a community or the locality itself. We have always had the foodie culture, but it is now that the people are coming out of the closet and expressing their whole interest in food. Your style of cooking? My style of cooking is pretty much global. Though most of my years as a chef I have spent internationally and it has been only 10 years ago when I returned to India, the food that I cook now is global cuisine but with a touch of Indianness to it, because more and more you stay in a place you start to use the ingredients available in the place. So however global my style of cooking is, my soul is very 'desi' when it comes to food.
Chef Vicky
Has the global perception about Indian cuisine changed? Absolutely. About 10 years ago, Indian restaurants were treated like a curry house or a place used to order a meal via telephone. But, it is not that. It has become very aspirational. It has become very refined. You have a lot of Michelin star fine dining restaurants in the top cities of the world like London, New York, Paris, Melbourne.
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Indian cuisine has moved into a different zone with a lot of fineness and has become more upmarket. Also, at the same time, we have a lot of young chefs from India who are cooking very good Indian food both in India and abroad. I think Chef Manish Mehrotra has done a great job by opening restaurants like the Indian Accent right from Delhi to New York and London, and there are few others like Chef Manisha Chauhan who has been in the USA and has moved to smaller cities there like Nashville in Tennessee and has been cooking really good Indian food there. So Indians are promoting the Indian regional cuisine and not just as north Indian or south Indian but a lot of regional cuisines and let the Westerners experience these cuisines through the chefs.
Your association with The Bandra Project by Pizza Express. I develop and curate menus for them and I work in tandem with all their head chefs. We have different price points, different cuisines and also different restaurants which give me a chance to be creative at different levels. What are the kind of menus you curate for these projects? The Runway Project is a modern Italian menu which has a little luxe to it. And I am also working with a pottery store who designs plates and crockery for the restaurant. In the Bandra project, Bandra which is almost like a hippie chic place so the food is very much like that. We have six or seven different cuisines which
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come onto our menu. We have influence from Korea, India, a bit of the USA and also Italian. We make most of the pastas in-house. So it is basically a very community style and innovative menu which could be savoured by people of all ages. Your thoughts about sustainability in food and encouraging organic produce? We are trying to be as sustainable as much we can. We discourage the use of too many imported products. We have a lot of good cheese makers in India so we use a lot of local cheese. We use only local vegetables. We work with local farmers for the supply of products like cherry tomatoes. In terms of organic, it is very difficult for a restaurant of large size to
be 100 per cent organic which is because of the lack of accessibility and regularity of quality organic produce here, and there is a price factor that comes in play as well. So we are trying to catch small co-ops who are doing things like this. Until 20 years ago, we were an organic country. Some of our farmers cannot even afford pesticides. We have only started buying pretty looking vegetables for the last 10 years. And I say the ugliest looking vegetable is the healthiest! Your views about Hydroponics? Hydroponics is the future of farming as it is soil-free, it uses less space and less water. Also, it is grown in perfect conditions and its nutrients are calculated. And, the advantage of this is
you get the same quality consistent for 12 hours a day. Also, I do use quite a few hydroponics in my dishes. Future roadmap I have a health food startup called Hello Green, but further to that, I think we are going to do a few more restaurants with this group, Gourmet Investments as they are keen on doing a lot of innovative restaurant concepts. I am also in talks of designing a menu for their upcoming signature restaurant which is going to be based on seasons. Your advice for aspiring chefs? A chef's job is not about glamour and aspiring chefs need to understand it. It is about being genuinely interested in cooking.
HIGH SPIRITS
Radico Khaitan: Celebrating the IMFL legacy One of the largest players in the Indian spirits industry, Radico Khaitan was formerly known as Rampur Distillery in existence since 1943. Dr Lalit Khaitan bought the distillery in 1972 to run it as a bulk spirit supplier and bottler for other liquor companies. Amar Sinha, COO, Radico Khaitan speaks about the company's latest single malt whisky Rampur', how it is meeting the global G&T trends and the furture roadmap of its India-made foreign liquor (IMFL) labels worldwide By Akshay Nayak
W
ay back in 1972, Dr Lalit Khaitan along with his father bought Rampur Distillery to run it as a bottler for other spirits, as a part of their family business. In 1999, Radico Khaitan decided to launch and market its own brands. It became the first company to conceptualise the innovative idea of offering scotch blended whisky and the first company to position 8PM as India's premium whisky. Currently, Radico Khaitan has four brands such as 8PM Whisky, Magic Moments Vodka, Contessa Rum and Old Admiral Brandy in its portfolio. Rampur Single Malt Whisky which was launched in 2016 gained global recognition and acceptance almost instaneneously. Speaking about how the brand earned its insignia, while also giving a detailed description about its unique distillation process distinguishing Rampur from the other single malt whiskies in market, Amar Sinha, COO, Radico Khaitan says, “The Whisky is named after Radico Khaitan’s first distillery in Rampur. One of the key USPs of the product is that it is aged, distilled and matured in the foothills of the scenic Himalayas. The Himalayas provide polar opposite of climate
conditions throughout the year with the flavour of the famous Indian summer giving Rampur an added dimension and depth. The super-premium malt whisky is steeped in the rich Indian heritage having been distilled in traditional copper pots, and is produced as non-chill filtered single malt whisky. Whisky in India matures faster than the whiskies in Scotland or Ireland due to the weather conditions and prolonged summer season.” What also adds to the luxury element to Rampur is its unqiue packaging - it comes in a luxurious canister with the bottle wrapped in a handcrafted silk pouch adding a touch of royalty to the packaging. “The bottle is stout and extremely robust looking with a thick base and a cork with sleeve - giving the bottle an understated and subtle look of luxury,” adds Sinha. The brand won accolades across the world including the coveted Gold Award at the Monde Selection Quality Awards and Double Gold at the World Wine & Spirits Awards, says a proud Sinha while talking about the IMFL's success globally. “Today, the brand has emerged as one of the most desired Indian single malt whiskies in the world. It is available over
30 countries and was recently launched in the Indian markets starting from Delhi,” he adds. Highlighting the distinctive tasting notes of Rampur, Sinha says that it has a balanced taste of malty and creamy vanilla, a hint of fruits like apricot and apple with sweet and winey flavour for a longer finish texture and mouthfeel. “The aroma of Rampur is rich in fruity top note, toffee in the background, floral, honey, dried fruits with the hint of balanced spices which embraces diverse and dynamic taste palates,” he adds.
Global G&T trend It is evident seeing the trends across the world, and India in specific, that Gin and Tonic or popularly referred to as G&T has made it to the bar
Amar Sinha
The Whisky is named after Radico Khaitan’s first distillery in Rampur. One of the key USPs of the product is that it is aged, distilled and matured in the foothills of the scenic Himalayas
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menus and is being served irrespective of the time of day. Sinha too agrees with this saying, “The trend of G&T has been going on ever since. The reason for it to pick up in the recent times can be attributed to the changing weather conditions where white spirit is treated as a cooling agent.” Also he feels, “This drink is incredibly refreshing and it’s not hard to imagine why James Bond ordered one of these to enjoy on his hotel balcony overlooking Kingston Harbour at the Blue Hills hotel. The drink is also one of the favourites of Prince Charles from the royal family of England as brought to light by a royal expert. With this level of patron-base, the trend was sure to get elevated among millennials and varied age groups are already turning to it.” Not restricting to whiskies only, Radico Khaitan has earned its name in the overseas market. “Radico Khaitan launched Jaisalmer Indian Craft Gin in the international market last year to tap into the category and to celebrate the origin of Gin & Tonic in British Colonial India,” says Sinha about the story behind launching Radico Khaitan's Indian craft gin - Jaisalmer.
national brands and is spreading its reach and gaining wide acceptance. 8PM Premium Black Whisky has been launched in over seven states in the premium segment. Also, there is a wide range of new products in the premium segment in the pipeline in different categories.” Moreover, from the marketing perspective, Sinha feels that digitalisation is important for promoting any brand across any vertical these days. “We are in a rapidly changing world where digital connectivity and social media forms a critical part of business operations and consumer engagement. Radico Khaitan has made significant investments to market its products and to reach out to its existing as well as potential customers through the digital platforms and social media. In the years to come, we will continue to enhance our digital outreach and footprint to gain valuable analytics and insights into consumer behaviour and preferences. Digital marketing is expected to be the key for our future initiatives,” concludes Sinha.
Future roadmap Highlighting that the spirits industry is focusing on premiumsition, Sinha informs that the company has already started steering the industry trend. “With the launch of new premium products and upgradation of the existing products in the premium segment, the company is in line with the industry to grow this trend,” he adds. Mentioning how the company is meeting the trend, Sinha explains, “Rampur Indian Single Malt Whisky has hit the domestic market and is poised to give tough competition to its contemporaries. Furthermore, Magic Moments Verve has been positioned in the super premium vodka category against inter-
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STRATEGY
A room in Paradise Two hotels, set in the different picturesque frames of Srinagar and Pahalgam, and both belonging to the Ahad Group of Hotels and managed by ITC Hotels, have another thing in common - the famed Kashmiri hospitality that warms the heart and touches the soul By Steena Joy
E
ven as Irfan Mir, GM, Fortune Resort Heevan walks out to welcome you, you know he is from the Valley, his firm handshake truly welcoming you to Paradise. Located close to Nishat Bag, one of the many attractions of Srinagar, with a magnificent view of the Zabarwan Mountains, the ITC managed hotel is a wonderful blend of traditional Kashmiri architecture with new-age conveniences. The building has the half timber style that is so typical of Europe. Mir adds, "This style is also typical of Kashmir. Most of the
houses here have this style." The hotel offers 39 beautifully furnished rooms, including 16 standard rooms, 18 Fortune Club Rooms and three Deluxe Suites and two Executive Suites. The rooms look out to views of snow capped mountain peaks and fir trees. "With one more block coming up, after a year it will be a 80 room property. All the rooms as well as the four culinary outlets have Kashmiri names. The room block is called Falaknuma while the suites are called Kahlan and Mehjoor. Cafe Chinar (or maple leaf) is the all day dining,
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Fortune Deli, Earthen Oven the specialty restaurant with 72 covers including three PDAs (private dining areas) and then there is Kehwakhana, the place for relaxing while drinking 'kehwa' the tea made with kesar or saffron," informs Mir. Incidentally, Heevan in Kashmiri means ‘flower in the forest.’
Local stories Two landscaped lawns offer banqueting venues. Gulistan 1 can accommodate 350 people and Gulistan 2 can take 180 to 200 pax. Shejar, meaning 'covered place' is another meeting area, an extension of the Earthen Oven restaurant. Evenings at the restaurant see live performances by local arti-
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From 2003 onwards, tourism was something everybody was excited about and everyone wanted to be part of the industry sans including santoor artists. You can see a lot of local Kashmiri utensils like sarposh, tash nari, etc at the restaurant. There is also a huge authentic samovar (teapot) that is the centre of attraction in the lobby. Recently, Fortune Resort Heevan held a very special food festival for the entire month called Hokh Syun Festival. Hokh Syun is one of the famous delicacies of Kashmir. An interesting spread of
dishes made out of dry vegetables. Mir explains, "The story behind Hokh Syun is an interesting one. Earlier due to harsh winters in the Valley, vegetables were never available. So Kashmiris would sundry the vegetables during the summers and store them for the winters and would make tasty meals out of it. We got a very good response for the festival both from guests as well as locals."
He adds, "The hotel also gets its fair share of weddings and ring ceremonies. In March this year, we hosted nearly six to seven ring ceremonies. In 2017, we hosted a huge destination wedding party from Nepal. For such social events, people come from Delhi too." Film crews have also stayed here like Rockstar team, Sanjay Dutt's Lamhaa, Alia Bhatt starrer Highway as well as her more recent Raazi. “From 2003 onwards, tourism was something everybody was excited about and everyone wanted to be part of the industry. Tourism was thriving and it was difficult to find a room here without prior booking, mostly in March to June. So many hotels came up in Srinagar, Gulmarg and Pahalgam. This went on till
STRATEGY 2013-14. This 10 year period was probably the golden period of Kashmir tourism. After that things have become difficult. Many hotels have even converted to hospitals because it became difficult to survive and maintain the properties,” laments Mir.
The Valley of Shepherds Pahalgam or the Valley of Shepherds is a two hour drive from Fortune Heevan Resort. The drive is scenic with bursts of yellow mustard fields hugging the new highway connecting Srinagar to the hillstation. Located atop the Rajwas Plateau, the WelcomHotel Pine and Peak Pahalgam ensures the best views of snow topped mountains and the Lidder River now swollen with melted snow. The property offers rooms, suites and cottages. A staff member mentions that Salman Khan stayed in one of the cottages during the filming of Bajrangi Bhaijaan. The film unit of Raazi has also stayed here as it gave them proximity to the film's locales of Betaab Valley and Aru Valley which are just a stone's throw from here. The production units of a few Netflix webseries have also stayed here including Gul Panag and Manoj Bajpai's Family Man. There are three dining outlets, overlooking the garden and the river – Lolaab, the all day dining, Saahil - Tea Lounge and the Gulistan offering multi-cuisine delicacies. Anjuman Banquet Hall, has a capacity to host up to 100 guests. All this is serviced by a touch of Kashmiri hospitality. Roop Pandita, GM, WelcomHotel Pine and Peak Pahalgam who himself grew up in the nearby village, says, “We are hospitable by default. So we may falter technically and professionally, but what we do we do from the heart. I have not
seen that anywhere else.” This is a 30 year old property of Ahad Hotels that was renovated and rebranded as an ITC property in 2017. It originally had 80 rooms which have now been refurbished to 60 rooms, one Presidential Suite, two Deluxe Suites and three cottage blocks (of that, two are three bedroom
cottages and one is a four bedroom cottage), then we have another set of two bedroom cottages which will become operational soon. Once that is done we will again have 80 units but in different nomenclature. There is also a spa and a gym with equipment recommended by Salman Khan. “We had to renovate keeping in mind that Pahalgam is an eco sensitive zone. We had to take a lot of permissions. We were optimistic about the business. Initially especially in 2018 things improved but now it is getting more difficult as
tourists are keeping away. Operational costs are fixed and maintaining the property is also a challenge. That's why lots of hotels shut down. Because we are a brand, we somehow keep the show going on,” says Pandita. Speaking of attrition levels, he informs that people of this Valley prefer staying back here. The hotel has staff who have worked here since its inception. Some of them have their children working for the hotel now. So ironically retrenching them is also a different problem. "Most of our team are Pahalgam locals. These people have families so they don't want to go outside the region. Even if they are educated, they stay because they have farms and land which they have to look after. So a job here allows them the flexibility to do all of that," he adds. Having locals as staff also helps the hotel connect its guests to the local tourism. “They become guides for our guests as they are familiar with the local traditions, cuisine and culture. They have this connection and our guests love it,” affirms Pandita. The GM believes that the government is doing its best. “It's not only the government. The people, the local administration must also work hard. The mindset at the base level has to change. The youth have to be involved in some way so that they don't get time to think otherwise and they don't get alienated. It has to be handled very tactfully and delicately.”
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'THERE IS APERCEPTION BEING CREATED THAT KASHMIR IS UNSAFE,BUTTHERE ARE MANY TOURISTS WHO COME HERE AND THEYBECOME OUR AMBASSADORS' His father set up Pahalgam’s first hotel, Hotel Heevan which is still operational. Asif Iqbal Burza, president of Pahalgam Hotel and Restaurant Owners Association (PHROA) and managing director of Ahad Hotels and Resorts which owns the Fortune Resort Heevan, Srinagar and WelcomHotel Pine and Peak Pahalgam - Member ITC's Hotel Group, speaks exclusively to Steena Joy about hospitality in the Valley of Shepherds and reiterates that Kashmir is as safe a destination as any in India How has the hospitality scene changed in Pahalgam over the years? The hospitality scene has changed here. Earlier people used to only come for the landscapes, but now they want to come and experience our way of life, culture and cuisine. Kashmir is predominantly know for its beautiful landscape. But now it is much more about the handicrafts and local foods too, so it can be said the travel and tourism in Kashmir has become more experiential now. And, the expectations have risen. World over the expectations are high with respect to the infrastructure provided there and hence the visitors expect similar infrastructure to be provided by us here in Kashmir. Earlier, when the visitors used to come here, their exposure was limited. But, now they have so many other options to select from. So we have to provide them with the best infrastructure and give them the local experience for which they want to travel to Kashmir. As the president of the Pahalgam Hotel & Restaurant Owners Association (PHROA) what do you think it can do to promote the industry here?
Honestly, Kashmir has been and will be the safest place for tourism. Despite all the situation here, there has not been any instance where the tourist’s safety is breached into. There is a perception being created that it is unsafe here, but there are many tourists who come here and become our ambassadors to tell others that it is not how it is perceived to be. That is how tourism has survived all these years here.
Asif Iqbal Burza
My first initiative was to spread the message about preserving the ecology and environment of Pehalgam, because we as hoteliers are here because of the destination and not the other way around. For this we conducted a massive plantation drive which is done every year now. We also spread awareness of using eco-friendly and biodegradable products to be used by the member hoteliers and also want to reduce and eliminate use of any kind of plastic especially in a fragile eco zone like Pahalgam. Furthermore, we want to include what locals have to offer. So we have our handicraft mak-
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ers here, and we are also promoting village tourism for which we encourage the guests to take the tours. This encourages the locals as well as gives them a feel of being stakeholders in our tourism. How do you regulate the local ponywalas, etc? We have till date not received any complaint from the ponywalas in Pahalgam. There is also a ponywalas association here which trains and regulates them. What is the government’s role in promoting Kashmir as a safe destination?
What about the room inventory coming into Pahalgam with many brands eyeing the market? In Pahalgam, branded accommodation is very limited. This is the only hotel that is being managed by a branded hospitality chain. But, Pahalgam as a whole has 12,000 rooms to offer in all categories and it is the second biggest destination in Kashmir after Srinagar. Room inventory is not an issue here but the quality of accommodation is. The government should come up with a policy and give some incentives to hoteliers and encourage them to invest and upgrade the existing infrastructure. Upgradation is also required to make the hotels more ecofriendly. Do you have a well placed
waste management system in Pahalgam? Yes, Pahalgam has a very well managed fully functional common STP. Though most of our hotels have their own STPs, we are still connected with the main STP. That is one of the great initiatives of the government. Also, it’s not just hotels, but many of the nearby villages are also connected to this STP. So Pahalgam as a destination is way ahead as compared to many other destinations in terms of waste management. What about connectivity issues? Pahalgam is barely 1.5 hr drive from the existing airport in Srinagar. But an additional airport under the government's UDAN scheme will definitely encourage more tourism here. Your expansion plans? We are coming with a hotel in Sonmarg and we are also looking at Jammu. Kashmir has so much to offer and each destination here is a picture postcard in itself. I would just request the prospective tourists here that they should not go by the existing negative perception but should speak to the people who have already visited the destination and then make a decision.
CAMPUS NOTES
Is hospitality winning the war for talent? Can the hospitality industry continue to find the skills it needs to support its huge growth potential? Recruiters and entrepreneurs representing a broad spectrum of businesses debated this topic at a recent event staged by Les Roches Global Hospitality Education. Stephanie Ruiz y de Jongh details what they had to say
H
OSPITALITY is booming. Already generating a tenth of all global employment, the industry is set to increase this ratio to 1 in 9 by 2028; by which time it will offer more than 400 million jobs worldwide, according to WTTC Travel and Tourism: Global Economic Impact and Issues 2018. The sector’s rapid expansion is certainly exciting in economic terms. But can it continue to be fueled by an adequate supply of fresh talent? And what are the key skills and attributes that the industry requires now and in the future? A group of recruiters, managers and hospitality entrepreneurs recently sat down to debate this topic, in a special event convened by Les Roches Global Hospitality Education. As one of the world’s top three hospitality management schools, Les Roches is in the vanguard of satisfying the industry’s hunger for skilled professionals. All the panelists were in Switzerland primarily to attend the School’s Career Day, where they could meet and speak with candidates for internships as well as potential future employees. What were they looking for, as they assessed the students at Les Roches? For Kerry
Stephanie Ruiz y de Jongh
Robbins, director of talent acquisition for Dubai-based Jumeirah Hotels and Resorts, emotional intelligence ranks at the very top of the core skills required for frontline hospitality roles. “Great service is all the things our people do without being asked by guests. This only comes from being very attentive, having empathy and being able to read certain situations and circumstances,” she says.
Emotional intelligence: nature or nurture (or both)? Can this level of emotional intelligence be taught before entering the workplace, or coached once within it? Syed
Asim Hussein is co-founder of the fast-expanding Hong Kong-based Black Sheep Restaurants. He believes this is a much tougher prospect than building so-called
‘hard’ skills. “We are in the business of human interaction,” he explains. “I would implore students and new recruits to the industry to work on your soft
skills – even if this is in your own time.” At luxury apparel brand Moncler, the human interaction in store is a vital component of the customer
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experience. The fast-paced retail environment also places considerable emphasis on the store manager’s soft skills, particularly his or her leadership. Nicola Eberl, director of the brand’s Ski Resorts business unit, acknowledges the scale of the challenge. She says, “Managing human interactions can look easy when done well. But it isn’t. This is especially true for our store managers, who have a tough job to run their teams in the most effective way. It’s really important for them to know how to coach others, and this is something we’ve been doing a lot of work on recently.”
We are all storytellers now One of the more overlooked soft skills - though it’s gaining increasing prominence – is storytelling. Today, brands must connect with their customers on a much more personal level, building a story around their product or service which is consistent and encompasses all types of communication platform, in-
There’s a rite of passage you must go through to get there.You have to be on the front lines first - there’s no substitute for this, because it’s where you learn and develop your soft skills cluding face-to-face. Alexandre Gerno, director HR EMEA at Moncler, notes, “Storytelling is luxury. What the customer will remember is the relationship you can create and the emotional response you generate within them. This is especially true in our digital age, where some of the human interaction in retail can be lost. It’s important to recover this; and storytelling is the key.” The good news for hospitality graduates with sharpened soft skills is that their employability stretches well beyond the worlds of travel and leisure. Financial information and technology com-
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pany Bloomberg is a regular visitor to Les Roches’ Career Days. Bruno Bassani, EMEA global customer support team leader, explains, “We have space for people with many different backgrounds; but where hospitality graduates can make a difference is through their cultural adaptability.” “It’s possible to train and coach new recruits in emotional intelligence and communication skills; but those who arrive with that package in place definitely have an advantage,” he adds.
Don’t aim too high, too soon What all the panelists agreed on was the need for
hospitality professionals to build their ‘employee brand’ from the ground up. “I started as a waitress. Now, as I plan HR programmes and strategies, I’m able to think back to that time and it gives me a better idea of what effect these programs might have on colleagues with frontline roles,” says Kerry Robbins. Eberl adds, “If you look at the attributes you need to be a good marketer, many of them revolve around a deep knowledge of your product and customer. And where is the best place to acquire this? In our stores. It can never be just about the bare numbers, so when I visit a store I always
spend around half a day working the sales floor. And every time I walk out of that store I’ve learned something new and useful.” Hussein cautions against a tendency to want too much, too soon. He says, “A lot of graduates want to be in development, analysis, consulting… but I say that there’s a rite of passage you must go through to get there. You have to be on the front lines first – there’s no substitute for this, because it’s where you learn and develop your soft skills. And this requirement is not going away, either. I always say that restaurants and churches are going to be our last non-digital forums. For the GenYs and GenZs restaurants will become precious spaces away from their screens and phones. We have to ensure we have the capacity to continue to offer them non-digital, human interactions.” (The author heads the Career Development and Industry Placement team, Les Roches Global Hospitality Education)
CAMPUS NOTES
CEDP Skill Institute: Showcasing mixology skills In order to prepare the young blood entering the hospitality industry, CEDP gives them both theoretical knowledge and practical hands-on so they are aware of what goes on in the industry comprehensively, informs Vasim Shaikh, group chairman and MD, CEDP Skill Institute By Akshay Nayak
S
TUDENTS from the Hotel Management course at CEDP (Council of Education & Development Programmes) Thane competed against each other to win the coveted title of master mixologist at the recently concluded Indian Summer Cooler Fest. This contest brought together the student batches who displayed their astute knowledge of ingredients and mixology techniques to create unique mocktails. The judging panel included Le Cordon Bleu Chef Michael Swamy; Pooja Bimrah- Former Miss India; Pooja Ketan Naik – Opera Mrs India Global 2018 Runner up and Geeta Sridhar – Master Chef finalist. The winning drink, The Street, by Aditya Mehta, from the competition will be a part of the menu at all the hotels of the Kamat Group. The Indian Summer Cooler Fest had close to 180 students from CEDP participating in the preliminary round, out of which only 10 made it to the finals. The large number of participants also highlighted the fact that students who are aspiring to be a part of the hospitality sector look towards bartending and mixology as a serious profession. Commenting on the occasion, Shaheen Khan, founder & CEO, CEDP Skill Institute, said, “Having been in the skills training industry for close to a decade, we at CEDP Skill Institute have seen an exponential growth in the number of students opting for the Hotel Management course at our institute. While most of the students have been successfully placed at vari-
Vasim Shaikh
ous five-star hotels across the globe, we realised that there’s a need to create a platform which would enable our students to showcase their talent and skills to a broader audience. We are glad that through The Indian Summer Cooler Fest, we were able to celebrate our in-house talent and aid them in reaching out to a larger number of the audience”. Commenting on the opportunities present in the F&B sector, Vasim Shaikh, group chairman and MD, CEDP Skill Institute, said, “The opportunity presented by the growing F&B industry has caught the eye of the aspiring young Indian entrepreneurs who have started looking at the F&B space as a go-to industry to realise his/her entrepreneurial dreams. The same is being reflected with the number of cafes, QSRs, bars, home kitchens or fine-dining restaurants springing up around us every almost every alternate day. Having a positive trickledown effect on job creation
within and outside the country. The stage is set for job seekers to acquire the required skills set and be a part of this booming hospitality sector. We at CEDP constantly look forward to providing skills training which are industry relevant and make our students job-ready.” Furthermore shedding light on CEDP’s efforts to train and develop skilled professionals in the hospitality industry, Shaikh said, “Coming from a hospitality background, and the experience that I have accumulated over the years, it can be decoded that the industry needs young blood who are specifically trained and who also are go-getters. So, working hard for long hours really doesn’t bother them. In order to prepare the young blood entering the industry, we give them both theoretical knowledge and practical hands-on so they are aware of what goes on in the industry comprehensively.” Speaking about the reason
behind high turnover rate in the hospitality industry, he added, “The main challenge in the hospitality industry is that it demands long working hours. When I was new in the industry, even I thought how will everything fall in place? but gradually the orientation came in. So one should be mentally, physically and emotionally prepared to work in the hospitality industry.” When asked about the number of programmes offered by CEDP to the aspiring individuals prospecting to enter the hospitality industry, Shaikh replied that they provide the students with two programmes – one is Hotel Management programme and the second is International Hotel Management programme. “In the first programme, a oneyear programme, the students are given six months of classroom training during which they are trained in all four core operational areas of the industry. The remaining six months is for on-job/internship for which we send our students to any of
the five-star properties in Mumbai and they get to work for 26 weeks in all the core operational areas. At the end of these six months, their mindset is pretty clear of how the industry functions and they also have clarity about which department best suits them. So, that is the whole idea of this blended programme, so that the students have handson experience about the industry and its operations. The second programme is International Hotel Management, an extension of the one-year programme, where the first year training programme is followed by an extensive international internship. Currently, our students under this programme are doing internships in Le Meridien Hong Kong and the Hilton hotels in Dubai. Next, our students will be visiting Kuala Lumpur and a few European countries for their internships. This internship programme ranges from six to 24 months. The whole idea behind this programme is that, for 24 months, the students need to have an international experience, end objective of which is – any person with an international work experience of two years has a higher chance of getting employed while also having an international experience of having explored and worked with different cultures in different countries,” he added. As of now in Mumbai, CEDP is tied-up with all the major five-star and four-star brands for taking their students as interns or permanent placements. Internationally, they are tied up with Le Meridien and IHG Group, informed Shaikh.
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MOVEMENTS Conrad Pune Conrad Pune has recently appointed Chef Joginder Singh as its executive pastry chef. At Conrad Pune, he will be responsible for all day-to-day operations of pastry and bakery sections of the kitchen. Armed with an experience of more
Chef Shimomura Kazuya
Chef Joginder Singh
than a decade, Chef Singh is a seasoned professional who has been associated with established brands in the hospitality industry. In his last assignment, he was the assistant pastry chef at JW Marriott, Pune. Chef Singh completed his diploma in Hotel Management & Catering technology in Bakery & Confectionary from CIHM (Chandigarh Institute of Hotel Management).
The Leela Palace New Delhi The Leela Palace New Delhi has appointed Chef Shimomura Kazuya as the new head chef at the hotel's modern Japanese restaurant, Megu. Backed with 26 years of rich culinary experience, Chef Kazuya is set to bring intense excitement, exquisite technique and perfectly balanced flavours to the discerning diners at Megu. Chef Kazuya has garnered acclaim for his seamless integration of modern and traditional Japanese cuisine and has worked with globally recognised kitchens of Hinokizaka at Ritz Carlton Tokyo and in the Michelin-starred restaurant
Mizumi at Wynn Macau. In his initial years, Chef Kazuya mastered the art of Tempura and acquired the skill of curating Kaiseki –a sought-after traditional multi-course Japanesestyle dinner. He loves to experiment with sensory perceptions of sound, sight and smell while whipping some exotic delectable platters.
The St Regis Mumbai
Gap Analysis and supply chain management. Prior to joining Hilton Embassy GolfLinks, she was working with Oberoi Group as financial controller for The Trident, Jaipur, India. Her deep understanding of the hospitality industry is critical to her role as the director of finance at the business hotel. After pursuing her MBA degree from Alliance Business Academy, Bangalore, Sharma started her career with The Oberoi Group - Kolkata and Bengaluru in June, 2007 and 2009 respectively.
ITC Hotels
The St. Regis Mumbai recently appointed Elie Houbeich as executive assistant manager of F&B. Houbeich brings with him over 15 years of operation and leadership with international experience in the hospitality industry within the core area of F&B. He started his career in his native place Lebanon and then moved to China, Jordan, Egypt and Dubai where he
Elie Houbeich
Sonam Sharma
GM – ITC Maratha will be taking over as area manager – South & GM – ITC Grand Chola. In his previous role Chadha was responsible for the growth & expansion in the Southern region in both the WelcomHotel & Luxury Collection brands including WelcomHotel Coimbatore & WelcomHotel Kences Palm Beach, Mahabalipuram opened under his aegis, as did the Luxury Collection hotel ITC Kohenur Hyderabad. An alumni of the WelcomGroup Graduate School of Hotel Administration (WGSHA), Chadha helmed the hotels in New Delhi, Agra, Kolkata, Bengaluru prior to Chennai, in a career spanning over two decades.
Four Seasons Hotel Bengaluru
Anil Chadha, currently VP South & GM – ITC Grand Chola, Chennai will be moving to Delhi as VP - operations, hotels division, ITC Hotels from April 1, 2019. Kuldeep Bhartee, currently area manager – West &
Four Seasons Hotel Bengaluru has appointed Minu Budhathoki as the spa manager. Budhathoki who has a wealth of experience spanning different facets of hospitality will be responsible for the bespoke spa experiences at Infuse Spa in addition to ensuring staff are trained to the highest degree of excellence. Budhathoki recently spearheaded a team at the Four Seasons Mauritius, wherein she gained valuable insight, when sent as task force. She hopes to apply her learnings to maximise revenue at the spa, manage her team as well as ideate and execute therapies which ensure that the needs of the guests are met and
Kuldeep Bhartee
Minu Budhathoki
Hilton Bangalore Embassy GolfLinks Hilton Bangalore Embassy GolfLinks has announced the appointment of Sonam Sharma as the new director of finance. In her role, Sharma will be supervising the revenue management and distribution strategy of the hotel along with managing the day-to-day yield operations. A seasoned hotelier, Sharma brings over 12 years of domain experience in accounting & financial management through SAP, OPERA, Control
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managed F&B teams of over 200 associates. With experience in various leadership positions, Houbeich has previously worked with Marriott Beijing Southwest and MEA as director of operations. He was also the director of F&B with different hotel brands including The Westin Beijing Financial Street. During his tenure, his venues have won recognition and prestigious awards like Time Out, Beijigner and City Weekend. In his current role at The St. Regis, Houbeich will bring in-depth knowledge and operational skills and will lead the hotel’s dynamic F&B team to navigate the varied and vibrant venues. Armed with wealth of knowledge, Houbeich also holds dual degrees of hospitality and management from educational institutions like Hotel Institute Lebanon, as well as an MBA from Glion Institute Switzerland specialised in marketing and innovation.
Anil Chadha
MOVEMENTS
surpassed. Budhathoki has previously worked with the Taj Group as well as handled retail operations at the spa at Burj Al Arab. Ashish Nehra has been appointed as director of F&B at Four Seasons Hotel Bengaluru. In his current role, Nehra is responsible for overseeing F&B at this new destination in the Garden City. The hotel’s overarching dining experience is a celebration of international cuisine presented in an interactive style and he will be responsible for ensuring that guests depart with a stellar dining experience each and every time. Nehra has worked with The Leela Palaces
Rohit Bajpai
Sharad K Upadhyay
gained F&B expertise through a variety of luxury brands like ITC Hotels and Shangri-la, while operating renowned outlets like Dum Pukht, Bukhara, and Peshawri. His intrinsic trait to pay attention to detail and make critical judgments has undoubtedly led to the services and facilities for the properties being top-notch in all aspects. In his current role, Bajpai will be overseeing all aspects of operational and strategic management of the 17th ‘Courtyard by Marriott’ branded property to open in South Asia.
University Ithaca, New York. He began working with IHG in 2010 and has worked with leading hospitality brands in China, Nepal, India, and Thailand over his tenure with the parent brand.
Ashish Nehra
Hotel and Resorts, Gurgaon; JW Marriott Kolkata and Delhi; The Oberoi Udaivilas in Udaipur; Wildflower Hall, Shimla; The Oberoi New Delhi, The Oberoi Rajvilas in Jaipur and The Oberoi Amarvilas in Agra in the past. He started his career as a trained pastry chef in Switzerland during his formative years.
Courtyard by Marriott Siliguri Rohit Bajpai has been appointed as the hotel manager of Courtyard by Marriott Siliguri, the first Marriott Property of the north east. Prior to the assignment, Bajpai has been a GM with both international & domestic brands like Hilton, Radisson, and Royal Orchid. Over the years Bajpai has
Holiday Inn Mumbai International Airport Holiday Inn Mumbai International Airport has appointed Sharad K Upadhyay as its new general manager. Upadhyay comes with over 20 years of experience across a broad spectrum of hospitality functions and holds specialisation in hotel operations with an avid interest in F&B as well as in sales and marketing. In his new role, Upadhyay will spearhead the business operations, overall implementation and business development at Holiday Inn Mumbai, ensuring its growth and expansion through innovative strategies. Previously, he was the GM of Crowne Plaza New Delhi Rohini. He completed his General Management Program from Cornell
try from Visva Bharati Santiniketan. At The Westin Pune Koregaon Park, Chef Dash would be responsible for planning of order and execution for all daily operations, supervise junior associates in the maintenance and cleanliness ensuring minimum wastage and controlling food costs. He would also be responsible for overlooking F&B activities of the restaurants; handling banqueting operations for weddings/conferences, and in-room dining. The Westin Pune Koregaon Park has appointed Abhay Singh as director of operations. An industry expert, Singh holds an experience of more than 10 years in the hospitality industry, converting strategic
The Westin Pune Koregaon Park Chef Amit Kumar Dash has been appointed as the executive chef at The Westin Pune Koregaon Park. With over13 years of experience in the hospitality industry, he brings with him passion, energy and expertise in the F&B department. His last served as executive chef at Sheraton Hyderabad Hotel. Chef Dash holds a diploma in Hotel & Catering Management from IIHM, Kolkata along with BBA in tourism and hospitality indus-
Chef Amit Kumar Dash
Raghav Sawant
dustry, he brings with him immense passion, energy, and expertise. His last assignment was with the Grand Hyatt Goa where he was in charge of the biggest spa in India. In his current role, Sawant will lead and supervise the development of the spa along with wellness and recreation of operations.
Four Seasons Hotel Bengaluru
Abhay Singh
vision into measurable results at various hotels. As the director of operations, Singh will be responsible for heading and managing the hotel operations and maintaining high standards of guest satisfaction. Prior to joining The Westin Pune Koregaon park, he served as the director of F&B at Westin Langkawi Resort & Spa and Langkawi International Convention Center. Singh has completed his hotel management degree at Institute of Hotel Management Aurangabad. He started his career as a F&B executive with Renaissance Mumbai. Raghav Sawant has been appointed as the spa manager at The Westin Pune Koregaon Park. With over 10 years of experience in the hospitality in-
Mahema Bhutia has been appointed as director of marketing at Four Seasons Hotel Bengaluru. In her current role, she is responsible for overseeing the dynamic sales & marketing team during the exciting preopening phase. With over two decades of experience, Bhutia has aced five hotel pre-openings until now. She will be responsible to position the second Four Seasons branded hotel in India by securing top corporate business while also showcasing it as a great option for leisure.
Mahema Bhutia
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WEEKEND
SECOND FIRE MARSHALS TRAINING PROGRAMME Following the success of its first Fire Marshals Training programme held last month, the Hotel and Restaurant Association of Western India (HRAWI) recently conducted one more batch of the programme for the hotels and restaurants in Mumbai. Through the seminar, a fresh batch of 118 employees from several hotels and restaurants across the city received training on the different aspects of fire safety.
OBSERVING WORLD EARTH DAY On the occassion of observing World Earth Day, The Resort Mumbai held a unique three-day activity called #Growyourfood that involved children in the age group of 6 to 15 gathering at The Resort's premises, where they were taught to grow their own patch of vegetables.
14TH HYATT FAIR INDIA The 14th edition of Hyatt Fair – a platform for representatives of Hyatt brands, corporates, meetings & event management companies, and luxury, lifestyle & leisure operators to understand the company and to interact with each other – was recently held at the Grand Hyatt Kochi Bolgatty.
SAVING DURING THIS EARTH HOUR As part as of its on-going commitment to help ‘save the planet,’ Hard Rock International participated in the worldwide ‘Earth Hour’ movement – turning off the lights at 18 properties across the globe, hence saving a combined total of 11,400 kilowatts.
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May 2019
WEEKEND
Women’s whirl
Scene and Heard With Marcellus Baptista
Show and tell
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Dr Karan Gupta & awardees
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alcete at Taj Lands End has always been the happy venue for the ‘I Am Woman’ evening that celebrates inspiration. Presented by Karan Gupta Education Foundation and IE Business School, this time around it was once again an exciting evening of celebrating and awarding women achievers. While actor and author Sonali Bendre could not make it, you viewed the video showing her in animated conversation with educationist Dr. Karan Gupta, the man behind the celebration and awards. Present were other awardees: fashion designer and entrepreneur Neeta Lulla, activist Dr Sindhutai Sakpal, Infosys Learning head Kisha Gupta, Genesis co-founder Deepika Gehani, author Priya Kumar, lawyer and activist Deepika Singh Rajawat, and activist Neehaari Mandali. The event, ably hosted by Manasi Scott, also saw actor Manasi Joshi Roy and actors and directors Rohit Roy, Tanuj Virwani and Parvin Dabas in conversation with the awardees.
arty people rejoiced at the launch of Sin City at Crystal Point Mall in Andheri. The launch anchored by Sandhya Shetty saw a performance by singer Raghav and a fantastic fashion show by Rohit Verma who brought alive his Las Vegas collection. On view were bold creations in shades of black, gold and bronze, complemented by jewellery by Kaypee Jewellers. Claudia Ciesla opened the show and Giorgia Andriani was the shinning showstopper. Guests enjoyed the delightful drinks and global cuisine. They roamed across the sprawling 9,000 sq ft place in three sections: lounge, club and casual dining area. They heard of the live artist nights on the weekend with collaborations with nightlife innovators and musicians from across the world. Giorgia Andriani, Rohit Verma and Claudia Ciesla at the launch of Sin City
Chic canvas
Syn is in!
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roovy indeed was the party to introduce the city to Syn, the newest nightclub in Mumbai, located at Sea Princess. Syn owner Priyank Singh was there to meet and greet the many guests who thoroughly enjoyed the ambience of the sprawling 7,500 sq ft space with two levels. A highlight was the sight of the hydraulic DJ console that went back and forth between the two levels, enabling the DJ to interact and engage with the guests. Also admired was the sheer magic of kinetic lighting with the imagery, colour and effects flowing seamlessly with Elena Fernandes the music. The talk was on the upcoming Syn deck bar where guests can prepare signature cocktails curated by well-known in-house mixologist Arjun Chaudhary. Also on the cards is Syn by the Bay on a Sunday by the poolside with visual mapping making waves on the water of the swimming pool.
58 EXPRESS FOOD & HOSPITALITY May 2019
Geeta Handa
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he Olive Canvas at Olive Bar & Kitchen is always a much-awaited event on the social calendar. The latest in this once-a-month happening featured Geeta Handa’s Boudoir Beauts collection in association with Chiara Jewels. Guests included Pooja Gor, Nivedita Basu, Chahat Khanna, Asha Bhatt, Suzanne Bernert, Gunjan Manaktala, Sandhya Shetty and Achla Sachdev. The models sashayed across the Mediterranean-styled eatery and bar, showing off the designer’s signature nostalgic avatar with creations embellished with Swarovski crystals. It was all very sassy and classy, taking you back in time of classic beauties like Bianca Jagger, Gayatri Devi and Brigitte Bardot. The designer’s celebrity muses included Prerna Wanvari. And guests lived it up with Skyy vodka cocktails and Fratelli wines, complemented by hors d’oeuvres.